


Harry's Family of Chaldea

by DarkscytheDrake



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Family, Fantasy, Fluff, Gen, Harry Potter - Freeform, Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s), Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 45,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23399926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkscytheDrake/pseuds/DarkscytheDrake
Summary: What do you get when the organization that's supposed to protect humanity ends up having a child as a master? Especially one who is from another world and is adopted by an Assassin? You get a collection of warm and fluffy, cold and foreboding - but mainly just a lot of fun. These are the stories of maybe one of the most unusual families to ever exist. Just try not to piss them off.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before we get started, three things:
> 
> ONE: This is an ANTHOLOGY series, meaning that (for now at least) I will be focusing on the character interactions and moments between them. When I do put in an actual storyline, it will be when I think the relationships have solidly formed in my head.
> 
> TWO: I will not be using every single servant in the Fateverse in this story since that would overload me. I'm just going to go with the ones I need (most will be from my Chaldea, but a good number won't be). I've seen a lot of their dialogues and interludes, so I think I have a good grasp of their personalities. Before anyone tells me, I know about Fragments of Chaldea by GhostXavier, and I might take a little inspiration from it, but ultimately I'm trying to make this my own story. If anything, most of the inspiration comes from Harry Leferts "Harry and his Shipgirls"
> 
> THREE: As mentioned in the game, Chaldea is located in another dimension where time flows differently, so the master and servant can take as much time as they need to clear the Singularities.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this and feel free to ask any questions you want!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Type-Moon.

Chaldea, 2015

The last bastion of humanity. The home base of the Chaldea Security Organization, whose mission is to prevent the extinction of humanity. For a time, humanity's future was assured for the next hundred years, until an unknown anomaly in the past changed everything; humanity would perish by 2016. In response, Chaldea devised a means to time-travel to prevent this disaster: Rayshifting. By going back in time and using powerful magecraft, a human can make contracts with the spirits of various historical figures called Heroic Spirits, becoming Master and Servant respectively to stop the end of humanity. Chaldea recruited 48 Master Candidates to fulfill that mission. Unfortunately, due to betrayal, all of the candidates were critically injured.

So how is it that the quest for human order is still underway?

Well, the answer to that question is this: there was one more Master Candidate in Chaldea than the 48 that had been invited. He appeared shortly before that fateful day, and to everyone's surprise, he became the Last Master of Chaldea.

What makes him so special? Well, first of all, he's a type of mage that no-one in Chaldea has ever seen before.

Second of all, despite his limitations, he manages to lead on the quest to humanity's future as good as anyone of the other candidates.

Third: he's only 8 years old.

* * *

_8:00 AM_

"Harry, Harry, wake up."

A soft yawn was heard inside the large room. Blinking slowly, a pair of emerald-green eyes met warm blue ones.

Harry Potter, age 8, smiled with joy.

"Good morning Mama."

The owner of the female voice smiled as well.

"Good morning to you too. Do you want me to help you get ready for today?"

The little boy nodded eagerly and they both got up from the bed to start the day.

A few minutes later, the two were walking hand-in-hand down the hallway. They passed by a few staff members who all said 'good morning Harry', with him replying each time. They soon reached another doorway, which opened up to reveal a room with medical equipment, and sitting in one of the chairs was the resident medical supervisor and acting Director of Chaldea, Dr. Romani Archaman. He looked up from the tablet he was writing on and greeted the two with a smile.

"Good morning you two. Here for your weekly check-up Harry?"

The child nodded and Romani gestured to the bed, to which Harry promptly climbed on. The doctor pulled a pen-shaped object from the pocket of his lab coat and pointed it at Harry, and a triangular blue light shone from its tip. He waved the object up and down, letting the light pass over the child's thin body. His eyes, which no longer had glasses thanks to some laser surgery - courtesy of Chaldea's advanced medical equipment - blinked whenever the light reached his face. A few repeats of that motion later, and the doctor put the object back and looked at his tablet.

"Did anything unusual happen this past week?" Harry shook his head.

"No Dr. Roman."

"Any sudden pains or bleedings?"

"No Dr. Roman."

"Any nightmares?"

Harry's smile lessened a bit. "There was one..." he then looked at his mother who smiled at him. "but Mama was with me!"

The doctor smiled in appreciation. "That's very good Harry." He tapped a few times on his tablet and looked at the mother-son duo. "Why don't you go to the cafeteria and get started on breakfast? Mash is probably there and you know how much she likes spending time with you. I have to talk with your mother a bit."

The child master nodded before hopping from the bed and hugging his mother, who returned the gesture with a hug and kiss on the forehead.

"I'll save some food for you Mama!" he said. The woman smiled down at him and rubbed his black hair.

"Of course you will. I'll meet you there."

With those words, he exited the room and left the two adults alone. The doctor gestured to another empty seat, which the woman gladly took. Silence settled between the two as the doctor typed on his tablet. After a few minutes, the ponytailed man lifted his gaze to the beautiful female and his expression grew concerned.

"...what was it this time?"

The woman brushed her brown hair away from her eyes and fiddled with her dress, the red frills tangling in between her fingers.

"It was Fuyuki again; when the former Director was killed. Lev was laughing about how everything we did was pointless before he reached out to Harry and tried to..." her grip tightened on her dress as she spoke. "I woke him up, but he was so _scared,_ Doctor. He cried on my shoulder until he fell asleep, and even then it took me coaxing him and promising him that I'll never leave him to even try getting him back to sleep again!"

Her voice started to crack at the end and it looked like she was about to cry, but she managed to take a deep breath and calm down. She continued speaking, but her voice was softer than before.

"I'm sorry for that display, Doctor; it's just that I worry for him every day. A child shouldn't be even thinking of doing all of this, especially one with Harry's past. He should be going to school, having fun and making friends, but -" Here Romani cut her off.

"I know that, believe me, if anyone here had the option of being a Master, they would take it in a heartbeat to protect Harry. Unfortunately, this is not the case, so the best we can do is help him along every step of the way while trying to give him some semblance of a normal childhood."

The woman sniffed a little and nodded, her distress doing little to mar her beautiful features. "And as his mother, I'll be with him until the very end."

The doctor's expression brightened at her statement and put the tablet on his desk. "That's good to hear from you. Now, I believe you've kept your son waiting with your food. Knowing him, he's probably even tried to cook you a feast, so why don't you run along and we'll have another session next week."

The mother nodded and smiled, getting up from the chair. "Thank you as always, Doctor Roman. I'll see you soon."

With those words, Mata Hari left the medical center, with the thought of her son warming her heart.

* * *

At the cafeteria, little Harry was sitting alone in one of the tables, munching on a sinfully delicious English Breakfast, and another portion set aside for his mother. His little legs were dangling from the bench. The purple-haired Shielder known as Mash wasn't there, but he didn't mind; she probably had some work to do. So instead he thought about spending more time with his mother. His thoughts (and bacon) were interrupted by a soft 'clink' on the table and a pair of small arms hugging him from the side. He turned and smiled at the sight of perhaps his best friend in all of Chaldea. A short girl, only slightly older than him, wearing a black shirt and short pants, with hair as white as snow.

"Hello, Jack!" he exclaimed, greeting the girl. Jack, however, just pouted, her yellow eyes shimmering.

"You were supposed to wait for me so we could eat together." At her statement, Harry blushed, scratching his neck in embarrassment.

"Heh heh, sorry Jack. I just had to see Dr. Roman again and Mama told me to eat without her."

The little girl nodded with a soft 'ah'. She let go of him and dug into her own breakfast, the two children eating peacefully. As they both devoured their meals, people started coming into the cafeteria and eating as well and soon enough, the room was filled with the chatter and munches of the various Servants and staff.

The two children were munching on their meals when Harry let out a squeak of surprise as he was pulled into a strong hug from behind and felt a fist playfully digging into his head.

"Yo, Mini-Master!"

The Master in question looked up and smiled at one of the girls he had come to call an older sister.

"Hi Mordred, good morning!"

The infamous Knight of Treachery grinned, her small fangs showing. Meanwhile, Jack looked at the two, pouting again.

"Sooo, you got anything planned for today?"

"N-no, not really" he replied, wiggling in Mordred's hold. "I wanted to spend time with Mama and Jack" The blonde knight's grin grew in response.

"Well, you can do that at any time. Want to train with me? You still look like skin and bones, and I can't have a Master who gets blown away at a gust of wind, even if he is a shorty like you." Her gaze was drawn to the full tray of breakfast that the two children hadn't touched.

"Ooh, for me? You shouldn't have" she said in hunger as she reached out to grab the tray, but a purple knife poised to pierce her arm stopped her. She turned and saw Jack glaring at her.

"That's for Harry's mommy. Go take your own." Mordred simply kept grinning.

"Really? Then you won't mind..." she started to say as she put Harry down.

"...if I have a bite from YOURS!" she cried, trying to grab Jack's plate, only for the white-haired Assassin to push her arm away with the flat of her knife. The blonde Servant made several more jabs at the food at speeds that made blew back Harry's hair, but Jack blocked them each time. Mordred was about to make another jab, but she saw Jack's body tense and eyes darken, like a snake preparing to strike.

_'...ehh, I'm not in the mood for a food fight'_ she thought, lowering her arm and sitting next to Harry. "You win this time, She-Ripper. You're lucky I was just playing with you."

Jack dispelled her knife, though she still glared at the older girl. Mordred turned to Harry again, who had a slightly frazzled look at the small clash.

"So what do you think Mini-Master? Up for some sweatin' with your favorite big sis?" Harry rubbed his neck slightly, unsure of what to say. While he always liked spending time with Mordred, her methods of training were a little...wild.

"Um, I-"

"Yoo-hoo, Harry!" A familiar cry interrupted his thoughts and the three turned to see Mata Hari walk towards their table with a big smile on her face. She reached her adoptive son and gave him a warm hug.

"Hi, Mama! I saved you some food!" he said with a smile, pointing to the tray. Mata tightened the hug in response.

"Thank you so much, Harry" she then turned her attention to the two females sitting next to her son.

"Good morning, Jack." she said to her fellow Assassin who smiled at the greeting.

"Good morning Miss Hari, I helped Harry protect your breakfast" she pointed to the knight, who muttered _'tattletale'_ under her breath. "She tried to take it but I stopped her."

The Sunlit Dancer mock-frowned at the Saber-class. "Really Mordred, you know how Harry reacts to this kind of behavior. As his older sister, you should set an example for him."

Mordred leaned on the table with her elbow and waved her hand up and down. "Yeah yeah, I know, I was just messing with them. I wasn't really going to take your food."

"Really?" the older woman asked in a deadpan tone.

"...maybe one small bite" admitted Mordred sheepishly.

Mata let out a knowing chortle as she sat down, set Harry on her lap and pulled the tray towards her. She started eating the delicious food while her son simply leaned back and relished in her warmth. Jack, not wanting to feel left out, scooted next to the mother-son duo and slightly leaned on the former's side, careful not to tip her over. Mordred just kept watching them with a smile.

After finishing her meal, Mata Hari went to stand up and dispose of her tray when Harry spoke up. "Did you see Daddy on the way here?"

The dancer stopped and blinked, rubbing Harry's head "...no, honey."

"Oh." The green-eyed Master looked down at the ground and leaned further into his mouther's touch; said mother looked down at her little boy at smiled gently.

"Don't worry Harry, you know how your Daddy doesn't like crowds. He's probably in the library or in one of the lounges."

Harry nodded slightly before he perked up. "Should we bring him food? He's probably hungry."

"That's a great idea Harry, I'm sure he would very much appreciate it."

Mata then picked Harry up and left the table, with Mordred and Jack following her. They went to the cafeteria counter where a white-haired, tanned man stood behind and cooked. He turned at the sound of their footsteps and smiled.

"Hello Harry, Jack, Mordred, good morning Miss Hari," he said as he nodded at each one of the little group. "Can I get you anything Mordred? I know that the others ate." Mordred shook her head in response.

"Nah, we're just here to pick up some food for his old man" she replied, pointing at Harry. The Archer raised an eyebrow before sighing softly.

"Let me guess, he's out brooding somewhere?"

The silence between the two was the only answer. Regardless, the man shrugged and started packing a meal.

"I suppose he would like coffee as well?"

"Most likely."

"Hmm. I wonder if he ever actually joined you all for a meal. Even my father was never that cold."

Mata gave an exasperated look at him. "Emiya, you know that's just how he prefers to spend his time. He still cares very much for Harry, even if he doesn't show it all the time."

"Hmph" Emiya muttered, "More like doesn't show it at all..."

The brunette Assassin just shot a half-mock glare at him, rubbing Harry's back all the while. Emiya sighed again and handed her a box filled with food and a hot plastic cup filled with coffee. "I'm sorry if I seem rude, but I'm simply worried about Master's safety. I don't want him getting hurt any more than he already has."

"I know, I know, but don't worry; he would die all over again than even _think_ of hurting Harry," Mata said, allowing Mordred to grab the items for her.

The tanned Archer had nothing else to say, so he shrugged. "Well, good luck with him and you all have a nice day."

"Thank you Mister Emiya," Harry said, which prompted a smile from the older man. His mother giggled at the sight and the group of four walked out of the cafeteria and through Chaldea's halls. They walked in silence for a while with Mata Hari trying to think of where _he_ could be when Mordred spoke up.

"Say, Miss Dancer, do you mind if I take Harry out for some training today?"

The brunette dancer raised an eyebrow in suspicion at the blonde knight. While she knew Mordred cared for Harry like he was her brother in blood, she was also aware of her more...wild tendencies when it came to fighting and sparring, as she had seen with the other Servants. Obviously, she was concerned.

"Don't worry," Mordred said in reassurance "I'll be careful not to rough him up too much and besides, he could definitely use a little workout."

Mata just kept staring at her. They all kept walking, but a sliver of nervousness crawled up the Knight of Treachery's spine the more the stare lingered on her. Finally, Mata sighed and looked down at Harry.

"Harry dear, do you want to spend some time with Mordred?"

The young Master bit his lip in thought. He too was aware, even if less so, of Mordred's wild behavior in combat; and from the few times Mordred _did_ train him, he always ended up falling asleep from exhaustion. But Mordred never hurt him _intentionally_ and made sure to be very careful and gentle with him - as gentle as one can get in a spar.

Also, she was probably his favorite big sister. He loved spending time with her - just below his mother and Jack.

So having decided, he looked up to his mother and nodded. Mata Hari smiled back at him and nodded to Mordred before looking down at Jack.

"Jackie, would you go be with Harry when he trains with Mordred? I think it's best if someone else was there to keep an eye on him" she raised her head and looked at the knight. "You don't mind, do you?"

Mordred shrugged. "Eh, why not? It could help if Mini-master had someone his own size to train with him. Besides, it'll be more fun this way." She shot a fierce grin to the child Assassin. "You better not hold anything back on me, She-Ripper."

Jack responded with a glare of her own before looking up to Mata Hari and nodding. "Yes, I'll be with Harry"

"Good!" Mata chirped. "See Harry, you're gonna have some fun with Jackie and your big sis!"

Harry smiled and tightened his hold on his mother in response.

A minute later, the group finally stopped walking through the halls when they reached a door. Mata stepped forward and the doors opened to reveal a spacious lounge. It had beige-colored walls with large windows that displayed the sunny yet snowy landscape outside. Bookshelves lined the walls, housing books of all sizes and origins, and various objects and knick-knacks were placed upon the shelves. Two large couches and three comfortable armchairs were placed around a coffee table in a semicircle, all facing an ornate fireplace. Sitting in the middle of one of the couches and reading a book was a pale man, with yellow eyes and white hair. He wore a green shirt with white-rolled up sleeves, black pants, and leather shoes. His expression was calm and focus, not even twitching at the sound of the echoing footsteps.

The group silently stared at the man for a little while with mixed reactions. Jack's face remained expressionless, her visage betraying nothing. Mordred's eyebrow was twitching in irritation at the lack of response from the man. Mata Hari just looked at him and sighed softly, fully expecting to see him here.

And Harry?

He wiggled out of his mother's grasp and landed on the floor and gestured to Mordred to give him the food. He walked up to the couch where the man sat and climbed on it. The pale man made no motion to indicate that he had noticed Harry's presence at first, but soon he picked up on the scent of the coffee drifting throughout the room and looked at the child out of the corner of his eye. Harry noticed this and said:

"I saved you breakfast, Daddy."

The pale man kept looking at the child as before, his gaze meeting with his adoptive son's innocent, yet slightly pleading expression before sighing and putting down the book. He gently plucked the coffee from his hands and took a sip, eyes oh-so-briefly closing in appreciation of the coffee.

"This coffee...did Emiya make this?" Harry nodded.

"I see...this is good. Then again, he is very capable when it comes to food."

Mata Hari finally took this moment to chime in.

"Oh please Dantès, don't talk to him like he's trying to poison you. He was the one who asked to bring you food in the first place."

Edmond Dantès stared at the dancer, still holding the coffee. Sighing, he put the cup down on the coffee table before looking at his son.

"...Thank you, Harry."

Harry's eyes brightened and his face lit up with a smile. He shot a quick glance to Mata, who gestured to the child with her head. Sighing again - softer this time - the Avenger stretched his arm out and patted Harry on the head, who smiled even more and leaned into the touch.

The group all smiled before sitting down, Mordred and Jack each in an armchair and Mata on the couch with Harry and Dantès. Harry scooted over to the pale Servant, leaning into him. Dantès slightly rolled his eyes before placing his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Dantès," asked Mata "I know you prefer being alone, but why do you rarely appear at meals? Harry gets upset when you don't show up."

The Count of Monte Cristo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I do not mix very well with the other Servants, dancer; you know that."

"Still, you should at least try more often, at least for Harry; you know how much he looks up to you."

Dantès looked down at Harry, whose eyes were closed as he leaned into his father's touch. His gaze momentarily softened, but the group knew it would take a little more to try.

"If you're that uncomfortable about it" the busty Assassin suggested "think of it as a training exercise in self-control. Don't look for the servants, just be there for Harry. Besides, I'm sure you have common ground with some of them; you just need to dig around a little."

Dantès kept looking at his son/Master, his expression unreadable. He eventually sighed again before looking up at Mata. "Fine, I'll try."

"Wait!" she said, "Promise you'll be there at lunch!"

The Avenger's mouth was slightly open before closing it with a soft grumble. "Fine, I'll promise I'll join you for lunch." Mata Hari smiled and clapped her hands in joy. She then got up from her armchair and sat down next to the Avenger's free side. Dantès raised an eyebrow at the action, but the dancer kept smiling, seemingly content with where she was. Knowing it would be too bothersome to tell her to move, he kept sipping his coffee, while the others relaxed in their spots. Eventually, Mordred broke the silence.

"So Edgelord, I'm going to take Mini-Master out for some training today. Wanna come with us? I've been itching to fight you for a while."

Dantès raised an eyebrow at her query before turning to Jack. "Girl. You'll be there with those two, I assume?" Jack nodded, her expression unchanged. The Avenger hummed in thought before shrugging. He _did_ need to stretch his legs a little, and he figured he should be there for extra backup in case Mordred got too wild on Harry.

"I suppose I could use the exercise. Just don't expect to win any time soon." Mordred let out a challenging grin in response.

"Hah! What are you gonna do? Shoot your little fireballs at me? I'll cut 'em all down!" Dantès scoffed at her remark.

"Hmph. You truly are as brash as they say, Knight of Treachery, if you even think you have a chance of taking me down."

As the two started to bicker, Mata Hari looked at her son, resting peacefully on his father's side, and her visage glowed with joy.

_"This is probably the strangest family that anyone here has ever seen, and I didn't expect anything like this when I was summoned but it's **my** family - **our** family. Harry might need to save humanity, but I'll be there with him every step of the way. All of us will be."_


	2. Playtime!

If you were to ask any ordinary mind what would the headquarters for the defense of humanity look like, it would be most likely that the first thing that would pop into their head would be a military base or barrack of sorts, with an air of utter seriousness. If you were to ask any of the residents of Chaldea what it was like, they would reply that it was a home: a big, spacious home filled with warmth and joy. The staff and Servants alike mingled with one another with little to no fear; they ate, they chatted, they fought (or sparred, in the Servants' case) but they all did their best to get along. And with all the interactions and friendships formed in Chaldea, it was natural that groups and cliques would form.

Especially with the children.

Being surrounded by so many adults and combined with the stress of the whole scenario and his past, it was natural that the young Master of Chaldea felt nervous from time to time. Luckily, and much to his mother's relief, Harry managed, one by one, to summon a small gaggle of Servants that were close to his age. In little to no time at all, one could hear the laughter and giggling of the children in any one of the rooms of Chaldea; with Harry among them, naturally.

Such is the case now, in a brightly-colored room filled with cushions, beanbag chairs, and toys, the so-called "Play Room" of Chaldea.

"Time's up! Everybody, stop!" exclaimed a blond, red-eyed boy who sat in the center of the room. At the sound of his voice, the small group of children that surrounded him put the crayons in their hands down and looked at him. In front of his sandaled feet lay a teddy bear.

"OK, let's see what you drew!" he said, approaching one end of the circle and looking down at a paper with a drawing on it. He hummed at the drawing while taking glimpses of the teddy bear. The blond child then nodded with a smile "Nice! I like the forest, Paul!"

The blonde, denim-wearing girl smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Gil; they're redwoods! Lots of bears like them!"

Gil went over to the next drawing, which was drawn by a white-haired girl with braids and a frilly black dress. "Ooh, this is very nice Alice! He even has friends!"

"They're gonna have a tea party!" she said. "There'll be snacks, tea, and honey! Bears like honey, right?"

"Bears love honey!" exclaimed Harry, who sat next to her. He was wearing a white, button-up shirt with black pants. He took a look at Alice's drawing and was very impressed. "Mr. Paracelsus once told me that. They also like fish and fruits."

"Ooh, really?" Alice (or Nursery Rhyme as she was properly known) asked. "Then I should add some. He'll get hungry with just honey!" she said as she added the foods to her drawing.

Gil just nodded and turned to Harry. "How did you draw, Harry?"

"Umm…fine, I guess" the young Master replied nervously, holding his drawing. He thought Alice's drawing was better.

"Come on, let me see!" Gil said, extending a hand to Harry with a smile. Harry smiled in return and handed the drawing. The red-eyed child looked at it and nodded with satisfaction. "This is also very good! I really like the way you drew the fur and teeth." Harry perked up at the compliment.

"Really?"

"Let me see" a soft voice to his left said. It was Jack, this time wearing a white dress.

Gil handed it over to the scarred wraith-child, who smiled at the drawing. "This is very good Harry. Did you see a real bear once?"

"Umm…not really" replied Harry, rubbing his head. "I did see a picture with Mommy once."

"What was it like?" she asked.

"Well, Ms. Vinci was showing me and Mommy what animals we might see when we travel. There were a lot there, like dragons, boars, giant wasps, and then bears."

"Ooh, giant wasps!?" asked a red-haired boy. "How big were they? Were they ugly? How can you kill them?"

"Alex, calm down" replied a violet-haired girl, wearing a black coat and hood. "They're probably squishy like normal bugs. Even you can kill one of them."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to know – hey!" the young prince turned to her. "What do you mean, 'even you'!? I can take on things way bigger than that!"

"Really?" she asked in a deadpan tone. "Then why do I remember Gil telling me you took one look at a spider and ran behind Harry's back?"

Alexander looked at Gil in disbelief. "You told her!? Why? I thought you said you would keep that secret!" The red-eyed youth shrugged in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to; it just slipped out and she had some of Miss Tamamo's cookies and –"

"Come on!" Alex exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Brothers don't do that! But since now you started it, I need to get even." He turned to the purple-haired girl with a grin. "Hey Ana, did you know that Gil took something out of the bar and –"

"OKAY!" Gil interjected. "I think we should continue with the contest." He turned to his Master and nodded. "Good drawing, Harry. Now let's see what you drew Jack."

He handed back Harry's drawing and picked up Jack's. He nodded at first, but then his eyebrows went up.

"Umm…Jack? I don't think bears have this much blood on them. Also, I don't think their claws are that long."

"Of course they're like that. They eat meat, right? So, they rip the meat to shreds with their claws and teeth, and blood comes out" she said in a chipper tone.

The group just stared in silence at the wraith-child, with raised eyebrows and uncomfortable expressions all around. Except for Harry; he was used to Jack's liking to carnage. That, and she was his best friend.

"OK…" muttered Gil as he handed the drawing back to her. "Let's see what the rest of you drew, shall we?" he asked, trying to re-lighten the mood.

He went to Alexander and looked at his drawing, which was very detailed but Gil said it was "boring".

"What do you mean, boring!?" the red-haired youth exclaimed in outrage.

"It's boring, what else can I say?" replied Gil with a nonchalant shrug, but everyone saw a tiny smirk showing itself for a second. Alexander took back the drawing with a grumble and Gil moved on to Ana.

"This is also very good…" muttered Gil. "Though I don't think bears and snakes play with each other."

"Here they do," Ana said and snatched the drawing away, ignoring Gil's protests. Knowing better than to try and take it from her though, he just sighed and turned to address the group.

"Okay, I've thought about it, and the winner of this contest is…drumroll please." The children all started to pat the floor rapidly. Gil took a deep breath and pointed at…

"…Alice!"

The silver-braided girl's eyes shone and smiled with joy while everyone else clapped for her, all smiling too. After the clapping died down, Gil handed her the bear, which she held close to her chest.

"Thank you everyone!" she said. "I'll make us a tea party for my win!" She then rubbed her chin and tilted it. "But where can I get more tea…?"

"We can do it later," said Paul before turning to her child of a Master. "What do you want to do now Harry?"

The group all turned to their Master, who just blushed at the attention and fiddled with his shirt. "Um…maybe a board game? Like that Mono…Monopoly?"

"No way!" exclaimed Alexander, pointing accusingly at Gil. "Goldie here would win again! That's what happened the last five times!"

Gil just smiled proudly; arms crossed at the red-haired boy. "Not my fault you're so bad with money."

"Oh yeah? You sure about that, with your stupid Golden Rule skill? How can that even work with Monopoly!?" Gil just shrugged in faux-innocence.

"Money is money, fake or real. Not all of us can be meatheads."

' _Uh oh'_ though everyone. Those two always found ways to needle one another, even if they were good friends, and it would almost always end in a fight. Case in point, Alexander got up and stomped over to Gil, eyes narrowed and fist raised.

"Wanna go, pretty boy!?" Gil just grinned and punched him in the stomach, dropping his guard for only a second, but Alexander recovered and started throwing his own punches. Pretty soon, the two were wrestling one another on the floor, throwing insults at one another. The rest of the children just watched the two, knowing it wouldn't end in anything serious.

Harry stared at the miniature wrestling match with a slight hint of worry when Jack touched his shoulder. He turned to look at her and she giggled.

"It's funny seeing them fight like that." A small smile form on Harry's face. That was true; he knew that they would never actually try to harm the other, and something in the scuffle did look funny.

"Yeah…but shouldn't we stop them before –"

**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

The children all turned to the door where the knocks came from, and even Gil and Alexander stopped their scuffle.

"It's me, honey! Are you and your friends busy?" Harry smiled at the sound of his mother's voice.

"Come in Mommy!" The door opened and Mata Hari stepped in, holding a plastic box. Next to her was a green-haired young woman with cat ears and green eyes, wearing a black-and-green dress with black gloves.

"Hi Miss Atalanta!" said Harry to the cat-eared woman, who perked up with a smile and dashed over to him and bent down, rubbing her head with his.

"Hello there, little kitten" she replied, softly purring all the while. "What are you all playing?"

"We were all drawing a bear and Alice drew the best one!" Alice giggled with a small blush at the compliment.

"Really?" she asked. The huntress looked down at Harry's drawing and nodded. "That's very nice. Did you know I hunted lots of bears in my time?"

The children all perked up at this and scooted closer to Atalanta.

"Really!?" asked Alexander excitedly. "What were they like!? Were they really strong!? Could they bust down trees? Did they tear their prey to bits? Did they –"

"Calm down, Alex," Mata Hari said, cutting him off gently. "Why don't we let Miss Atalanta tell her stories and eat some cookies?" She opened the box to reveal a large batch of mouth-watering chocolate cookies. The smell wafted around the room and the children looked at the box dazed.

"Did Mister Emiya make those?" asked Alice.

"Mister Emiya AND Miss Tamamo" corrected the dancer with a smile. The group all started licking their lips. Food from just one of those master chefs was a delicacy, but the two of them working together?

Five-star eateries would hang themselves in shame and envy.

"Ehh? Cookies made by Onii-chan and Tamamo-san!?" asked a voice outside the door, snapping the children out of their daze. They looked at the door again and two girls stepped in, excited looks on their faces. They both looked nearly identical; one with white hair, ruby eyes and pale skin and wore a green-white shirt with a skirt. The other had rose-like hair, yellow eyes and tanned skin, and wore a purple shirt with a mini-skirt.

"Oh, hi there, Einzbern twins," said Gil with a small wave. The two waved back and skipped to the cookies with hints of drool at the corner of their mouths. The tanned one reached out to grab a cookie but Mata Hari gently pushed her arm away.

"Now now, Chloe" she mock-chided. "Everyone gets a cookie and then extras. Don't think I don't know what happened the last time you found Tamamo's cookie jar."

Chloe pouted and crossed her arms, while her twin just kept smiling and extended a hand to the dancer. The children's eyes swam as she handed them all a cookie each, and soon they all sighed in bliss at the utterly delicious taste. Even Atalanta took one, and her tail wagged back and forth so fast that it fanned the whole group.

Harry was finishing his cookie when Chloe snuck up from behind and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey Master, is that your drawing? It looks really good."

Harry smiled at the compliment as the tanned girl placed her head near the crook of his neck, causing him to blush. Unbeknownst to him, Jack was staring at Chloe with a pout. "If you want, I can show you a lot of my drawings back in my room."

"Really?" asked Harry.

"Sure! I have these really cool colors Okaa-san and Da Vinci made for me and Ilya." She then noticed Jack's stare and an impish smile crept up on her face.

"Oh, Master," she said in a teasing lilt, "I see some cookie crumbles on your cheek. If you'll allow me…"

She leaned in and was about to brush the nonexistent crumbs off his cheek when Jack pulled Harry away and hugged him tightly. She sent the rose-haired girl an angry glare while Harry just looked confused.

"Stay away," she said, the slightest sliver of irritation in her deadpan voice.

"How cruel" Chloe mock-gasped, placing her hands on her cheeks. "I just wanted to clean him up, but you have to go and be a meanie, Jackie." She turned to her twin. "Ilya, help me out here!"

Ilya just looked at her in confusion while Atalante and Mata Hari giggled at the sight, the children joining in with their laughter. The Sunlit Dancer's heart warmed immensely as the sound fluttered in her ears. She hoped that the sound would never die, not as long as Harry was with her.


	3. Strange School(?)

"Now, do you have everything?" asked Mata Hari.

"Yes Mama."

"Yes Miss Hari."

The voices replying were all sitting in chairs with small desks attached, arranged in a semi-circle around a blackboard and a desk. Each child had a few notebooks, a pencil and an eraser on his/her chair-desk. They were all dressed in casual clothing – basically t-shirts, short pants, and shoes – except for Harry, who was dressed up in his Chaldea Master's uniform; a white shirt with two black belts across his chest and black pants. The room they were in was a large, bronze-colored space with various books and apparatuses lining its shelves.

"That's great!" she said. "I'll see you all at lunch, alright?" Harry nodded with a smile. Nodding back, she turned to the beautiful brown-haired woman next to her. The red and blue dress she wore seemed to glisten in contrast to the bronze walls. In her left hand, she held a large staff with a glowing blue diamond on top.

"Don't worry Margaretha! Your resident genius, Leonardo Da Vinci, has everything planned out for today!" She turned to the children with an enthusiastic smile. "Alright children! Say bye-bye to Miss Hari!"

"Bye!" they said, waving to the Assassin as she went out the door. She waved back, only for her heart to flutter when she caught the tiniest sliver of worries in Harry's eyes. Fortunately, that sliver was squashed by excitement as Da Vinci told the children to open their notebooks.

After the Orleans Singularity, Da Vinci and Mata Hari became concerned with Harry's education. Based on what he told them from his time at his…relatives (she still clenched her fists in anger every time he mentioned them), he only had a very base education at best, and every effort at being smarter than his cousin was thoroughly squashed. Naturally, the two Servants were appalled by this and decided they would home-school him whenever they could. At first, it was mainly Da Vinci and Dr. Romani tutoring Harry, but as Harry summoned more Servants, both adult and child ones, Da Vinci suggested they would transform his one-on-one tutoring into a small "classroom", with Harry and the child Servants as students and the scholarly adult Servants as teachers. The adults naturally agreed, eager to help their little Master out, while the children were uncertain at first, but soon came to discover that the lessons were fun, and soon joined Harry in the "class".

There were even talks of making them little school uniforms.

Indeed, the adult Servants made sure to keep their lessons both informative and entertaining for the children; and as one would expect from such…colorful personalities, the lessons seemed to match.

Literature

"Okay, another day of trying not to drag your souls down into the abyss of misery," said a blue-haired child with a baritone voice. He wore rectangular framed glasses and a white lab coat (for some reason), and in his hand, he held a large blue quill. This was Hans Christian Andersen, appointed Literature teacher and pessimist.

He inwardly sighed as he rubbed his head. Why did he agree to this? Oh yes, because Da Vinci and Mata Hari were incredibly frightening women when they wanted to be. Not unlike that other woman. At least they weren't distorted.

That, and he did have concern for his Master. As miserable and cynical as he was, he still is an educated man and a (somewhat) dependable Servant.

Reminding himself that for the nth time, he resumed talking.

"Now, today we will be talking about endings. Or rather, happy endings." He fiddled with his quill as he spoke. "Happy endings are the most confounding inventions ever invented by writers. They provide closure to stories and bring smiles to the readers' faces, made by a series of events that could or could not happen in reality. They are fake and they are true. Can anyone tell me why?"

While the children looked a tad confused at the Caster's rather…loquacious statement, Ana raised her hand and Hans gestured to her with his quill.

"…because not everyone will be happy in the end?"

"Correct. In real life, one happy ending means a bad ending for another. Things aren't so clear cut. Only a few exceptions, like Chaldea, exist. People try to get their happy ending, only to sometimes find out it isn't as happy as they want it to be."

Harry kept looking at Hans in confusion. Why did he say that? He had his Mommy and Daddy and his friends. He was happy.

The blue-haired author felt the trickle of his Master's thoughts and frowned. He knew of his past, naturally, and he certainly didn't want to let Harry think that someone suffered because of his… 'happy end'.

"Now, I'm not saying that happy endings don't exist; it's just that you cannot delude yourself into thinking that every ending will be happy. A good piece of literature doesn't force the ending; it arrives at its most natural conclusion."

A chorus of 'oh''s came from the children and Hans nodded, glad that they understood.

"What I don't get though," he grumbled to himself, despite everyone hearing him "is what those translators were thinking of with what they did to my stories! I swear, if Disney does exist on the throne, I will throttle him so hard…"

Math

"Ok kiddies, let's see what you did" instructed Da Vinci. She had instructed the class to solve some geometry problems. The children put their pencils down and the inventor went around, looking at their work.

She reached Harry's desk and smiled at what she saw. "Very good, Harry! Might I say that those are some very nice triangles!"

Harry blushed at the praise. "I used a ruler like you said Ms. Da Vinci."

"That's right! Remember kids, a ruler will make solving these problems much easier!" She checked the other children's work and gave remarks and corrections. When she reached Alexander's desk, however, she sweat-dropped at what she saw.

"Alexander? I don't recall a catapult being mentioned in the problem."

The red-haired boy scratched his head in embarrassment and chuckled. "Heh-heh. Sorry, guess I was a little distracted."

The inventor raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A little distracted?"

Alexander dropped his head in shame, while the rest of the children held back their giggles.

Da Vinci shook her head and started walking to the board when Alexander spoke up. "Why do we even have to learn this? It's not like I'm gonna be using math every day!"

She froze for a moment and then turned to the youth, who gulped at her stare's intensity. 'Oh damn, I messed up…'

"I'll have you know," the Caster-class Servant said in a tight tone of voice "that everything in the world revolves around math and numbers. Patterns in nature, machines, war, even magecraft follows a lot of mathematical principles! All of Chaldea's computers and systems were built using math!"

While Alex was startled by the fierceness in her tone, Da Vinci saw he was still confused. Inwardly sighing a muttering about bullheaded red-heads, a bright idea got into her head.

"In fact, …" a half-devilish smile appeared on her face "…how about I show you all?"

She waved her staff in the air and miniature catapult appeared. "Now, I want you all to look at this rock" she pulled a rock out of her pocket and placed it inside the catapult.

"I am going to make it land precisely…" she took a piece of chalk from the blackboard and marked an X on the floor "…here."

She walked back to the catapult and carefully pressed down on its bucket, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the X. Three seconds later, she released the bucket, the stone flew and…landed right on the target.

The inventor had to stop herself from preening when she heard the children's cries of excitement. Alex however, just nodded.

"That was nice and all, but what's that got to do with math?"

"Very simple: I calculated how much force should I use to push the catapult's bucket, factoring in how much the stone weighed, how far I was from the X and boing! Right where I wanted it! How do you think soldiers knew where to place catapults or how to fire crossbows? Math!"

This time all of the children nodded, even if they looked a little befuddled by the terms she said. Da Vinci let out a silent chuckle; they'll get there in time.

"My point is, math always has a use. Even if the math looks boring and uninteresting as it can get, I guarantee you there is a practical use for it. The same can be said for a lot of other subjects, so make sure to learn everything that's ever being taught to you; you never know when you might need it."

Physical Education

"All right, everybody line up! We're gonna sweat a lot today so get ready!" yelled Leonidas, the warrior-king of Sparta and Lancer-class Servant. In contrast to his usual attire of loincloth, shield and helmet, he was wearing a white sports t-shirt and black shorts. The children were all standing in front of him wearing similar clothing (they had a small room to the side where they changed) and they were all standing in Chaldea's gym; a state-of-the-art facility with all the newest sports and training equipment.

"Now, we're gonna start off with a warm-up so all of you do 15 jumping jacks" he paused to demonstrate the exercise, jumping up and down while opening and closing his arms and legs simultaneously each time. "We'll do this set three times, move onto some squats and then do some chest exercises. Ready?"

The children nodded. "Ok, three, two, one, start!"

The children all started jumping, making sure to keep up the rhythm while Leonidas watched them closely, especially Harry. He wasn't a Servant and as such had a weaker physiology than the rest of them, on top of being an eight-year-old.

Still, he performed the exercise with little difficulty.

The Spartan continued to watch the children as they went through each exercise he gave them, with a small smile filled with pride on his face all the while. They didn't just do the exercises; they went further than that.

"Bend a little lower Harry and keep your back straight," said Alex, in the middle of a lunge exercise. "Jack, make sure he doesn't fall, okay?"

The scarred Servant nodded and gently pressed her hand against Harry's back keeping it straight. The raven-haired Master smiled at her and kept performing the lunges. Leonidas just nodded in approval; a good warrior relied not just on himself, but on his comrades as well.

"Hey, Leonidas –" Alex nearly jumped back at the glare the Lancer shot at him. "I-I mean Coach, why do we have to do these exercises? Harry I understand, but why us? It's not like we're gonna lose our muscles or anything."

Crossing his arms, Leonidas snickered in amusement. "Oh? Well, come at me then Macedonian. If your strength doesn't fade let's see you prove it."

Alex grinned and bent his knees, while the rest of the children all backed away, putting some distance between the two redheads, while Gil just shook his head in mirth. When will he ever learn?

With a burst of speed too fast for Harry to follow, Alex lunged at the Spartan King, ready to bash his face…

…only for the aforementioned king to sidestep and slam him down on the floor, cracking the metal below.

"As young Alexander helped demonstrate," Leonidas said while gesturing to the flailing boy under his palm "no matter what shape your body is in, you always need to train and maintain it. Especially for us; we are the last defenders of humanity, and even the slightest bit of laziness can lead to trouble later on. Assume that there's always something bigger or better than you, or else you'll end up a lot worse than being smashed to the floor."

The group all nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm as Leonidas looked down at Alex's struggling form and grinned manically.

"Oh, and since you've decided to volunteer…how about you help demonstrate some wrestling moves? I've been spending some time with the Irishmen and they gave me ideas for these amazing new techniques…"

All Alexander the Third of Macedonia could do was whimper.

Science Lab

Harry wiggled in his chair in excitement; this was one of his favorite classes! He and his friends were back in the classroom, wearing plastic safety goggles on their heads. The door soon opened and a long-haired man with electric blue eyes and wearing a metallic gauntlet stepped in. He was holding something which was covered in cloth.

"Good day, children! I have something special planned for today!" he said, placing the cloth-covered object on the table. "Can you all guess what it is?"

The child Servants rolled their eyes. It was obvious what the teacher wanted to talk about. Harry just raised his hand.

"Yes, young Harry?"

"Um…electricity, Professor Tesla?"

"Correct! Electricity, the very lifeblood of modern society! Without it, it would dissolve into anarchy and chaos!" exclaimed Nikola Tesla, waving his hand in the air dramatically. "These sparks of energy move throughout Chaldea's halls even as we speak, moving back and forth and supplying power and fuel to our ever-important quest!"

Tesla grabbed the cloth with his gauntlet. "Now…behold!"

He lifted up dramatically to reveal an array of cables and boxes. At one end of the array was a small silver disc and on the other was a row of lightbulbs, all connected by said cables and boxes.

"This is a simple electrical circle, all designed to power up these lightbulbs here. Before we start, can anyone tell me what kind of circuit is this?" He gestured next to Harry. "Young Miss Jack?"

Jack looked at the array and scratched her little chin. "This is a…parallel circuit?"

"Indeed! And these little boxes here are impedances. As you all should recall, the total sum of the impedance units in a parallel circuit is equal to the sum of their reciprocals. If each of these units has an impedance level of, let's say, 30 Ohms, and there are 5 impedances here, then the total sum of these impedances would be 6 Ohms." Tesla paused for a moment to write down the equation on the board. He turned to look at his students to see them all writing down in their notebooks diligently, although some of them looked a little lost.

'Maybe this is a tad advanced…? No, I will show them soon enough!'

The scientist grinned as he flipped a small switch and suddenly the lightbulbs all lit up in different colors. Harry and the children looked amazed at the sight and the Archer-class Servant felt elation coursing through his veins. Ah, the wonderous look on their faces! Just like when he presented his inventions to the world!

"Yes, I know, this is all very interesting, but let me ask you this, my students; what would happen if I add more impedances to the circuit?"

The children all looked at him in thought for a few seconds before Ana raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"The lightbulbs will be…brighter?"

"No, it'll be dimmer!" exclaimed Kid Gil. Ana shot him a dirty look for barging in before Tesla chuckled.

"Miss Ana is correct here. The lightbulbs will shine brighter with more impedances" he took another small box out of his coat pocket, connected it to the circuit and indeed, the lightbulbs' shine was stronger than before!

The red-eyed boy looked at the circuit befuddled while Alexander silently snickered, trying to hide his aching body and Tesla softly chuckled. "I get why you said that young Gil, but remember our last lessons: Current times Impedance equals Voltage (I*Z=V on the board), meaning the bulbs will shine brighter with more impedance."

Gil looked down in embarrassment, but soon lifted his head and stared with his friends at the circuit in wonder. The inventor nodded with satisfaction; another lesson, another step in the path towards the enlightenment of –

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?"

The roar shook the whole class. They turned to the door, and into the classroom barged a tall figure with a lion's head and red-and-blue spandex. His gaze darted across the classroom until he saw the circuit.

"Ah-ha! I see I have come just in time! You have gone too far this time, you wacko inventor! Trying to corrupt the minds of these poor and children, and our Master no less!? You should be ashamed to even think of –"

He was cut off by a bolt of lightning that sent him flying out of the room. The children looked at their professor to see that his gauntlet was outstretched and crackling with blue electricity.

"I suppose this is a good opportunity as any children. You see, the methods of electricity I have been teaching you have all utilized the supreme power of the alternating current, which is of course the only way any proper high-tech electrical system in this society –"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Yellow lightning blasted from the door and sent Tesla flying into the wall, dazing him. The lion-man, now smoking, stomped over to the table with a thunderous look in his eyes before turning to the children with a genial smile.

"I'm sorry about that children. You have been deceived by this nutjob for too long, so I, Thomas Edison shall bring you into the light!" At lightning-speed, he erased the board and rewrote it, shut off the circuit, rearranged the cables and boxes and pulled out a small aluminum battery. He threw away the silver disc and put the battery in its place.

"Now, observe the true method of harnessing electricity – the one with resistors, single-flow and proper lighting! Behold the power of the direct current!"

He flicked on the switch and bulbs lit up again to show…the exact same thing.

Harry was confused. The lightbulbs still shone the same. What was different here?

Edison saw the look on his young Master's face and was about to educate him when the smell of ozone intensified. The children turned to see Tesla standing up with an enraged look on his face.

"So, you think you can impede my efforts in educating these impressionable minds, you industrialist moocher!"

"Hardly. I'm trying to illustrate the glory of the American system and not some one-off lightning rod, you quack!"

Tesla scoffed. "Please, if they wanted to see the American system, I'm sure a textile plant would be infinitely more interesting than whatever nonsense you make."

"Ehh!? I'll have you know that my industry pushed America into the peak of refinement!" yelled Edison, shaking his gloved fist.

"Indeed. The peak of manure refinement."

"DC is the only way!"

"Fool! AC is the true way!"

"AC!"

"DC!"

"AC!"

"DC!"

The two pioneers of electricity were soon wrestling on the floor, zapping and insulting each other all the while. Harry, Jack and the rest of the class laughed.

Never a normal lesson with people like these.


	4. Hello Darkness, my old Friend

IMPORTANT AN at the bottom! Don't skip it!

I do not own Harry Potter or Type-Moon.

Hello Darkness, my old friend...

The Throne of Heroes, and by extension, Chaldea, is home to a wide variety of Heroes of different faiths, origins, nationalities, and ideologies. What connects all these individuals is that each and every one of them has left their mark, for better or worse, in the annals of myth, legend and history. Most of these individuals are true 'heroes'; those who fought for something bigger than themselves, protecting the innocent and other actions that are applied to the definition of the word 'hero'. However, there are those that…did not fit the mold of the classic 'hero'. Whether it be by their personality or the deeds they have done in life, they are more akin to 'anti-heroes' or close to outright villains. Nevertheless, Chaldea welcomed all who would support the quest for restoring Proper Human History, regardless of who they are and what they did.

Such is the case of the female walking aimlessly down one of Chaldea's many hallways. She wore a black gothic skirt, embroidered with silver patterns that hung from a silk choker around her neck and fell down to the ground, ending at the height of her heel. The dress sharply contrasted with her pale skin, white hair, and golden eyes. Despite her doll-like appearance, her posture exuded a commanding and fearful presence.

'I wonder what Mordred is doing right now' thought Artoria Alter. 'Probably sparring with one of the knights. Maybe I should go; it would certainly help alleviate my boredom, and that child's face after being beaten is so satisfying to watch…'

It was a rather strange thing for her, the whole Chaldea business. She agreed to help save humanity when she was summoned, sure, but she wasn't a normal Servant; rather, a 'what-if' possibility of the original King (or rather, Queen) Artoria, given life by a tainted Holy Grail. Even if she was a real figure in myth or history, her ideals and methods would certainly be far from any 'hero'. Yet here she was…

Her thoughts trailed off as she passed by an intersecting hallway and the sound of small footsteps reached her ears. She turned her head slightly to the direction of the sound, and raised an eyebrow at the sight of her child of a Master walking down the hall, hands in his pockets and looking at the walls. His raven-haired head turned a bit and met her gaze before a smile broke out on his little face as he ran towards her.

"Hi, Miss Altoria!" The Dark King of Knights nodded silently in response and looked down at where he stood. With the top of his messy hair barely reaching her waist, it would be surprising to anyone who knew her that such a child was her Master.

"How are you, Master? What are you doing here all alone?"

"Um, Mommy is spending time with Miss Tamamo and Miss Jeanne, Big Sis Mordred is fighting with someone, and I can't find Jack anywhere. I think she's playing with Alice." Harry looked down for a moment before perking back up, the smile still on his face. "So, I'm looking for Daddy! Did you see him anywhere?"

The Alter Saber shook her head. His little shoulders slumped dejectedly before he scratched his little nose. He seemed to want to keep walking, but instead, he looked at his Servant's eye with a tinge of nervousness. "Um…can you help me find him, please?"

Altoria tilted her head at the request. She didn't really have an issue with it, and she did say she was feeling bored…

"Very well," she said, the corners of her lips twitching upwards slightly. "Come, let us start looking. Maybe he is in one of the lounges." Harry's smile grew larger and grabbed her pale hand as they started walking.

This was another odd thing in Chaldea, perhaps the oddest one. Not only was she surprised by the fact that her Master was a child when she was summoned (although she never showed it), but the fact that he was so quick to accept her was…unusual, especially since her 'other' tried to kill him in Fuyuki. True, he did look nervous at first, but a day later Harry was following her like a lost puppy. When she sent a questioning glance at his adoptive mother, the former spy just gave her a smile and gestured to go along with it.

Not that she complained at all. Her Master was rather…nice to have around.

"How have you been doing as of late?" she asked.

"Oh…Miss Da Vinci and Dr. Roman are still trying to find the next Singularity, so I've been taking more lessons. Jackie started teaching me how to hide, and Big Sis Mordred's asking to fight me more."

The pale-skinned Saber nodded. "That is good. It is important to keep up one's training, especially in our situation. We may be your Servants and we will protect you, but you should always have something to help you in case we are not there."

Harry smiled at her praise and edged a little closer to her as they walked. He looked at her for a second before speaking again. "Miss Altoria? Could you…help me train?"

She looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean? Did you not just say that Mordred was helping you?"

"Umm…yes, but…" he looked back down from her stare, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

'He still has insecurities? Well, since I am Mordred's sire, I suppose it would be natural for him to seek me out for advice' she thought. "While I am flattered by your request Master, there is very little I can teach you that Mordred doesn't know, at least in terms of what you can currently do. You do not wish to use a sword, correct?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Mordred let me try, but she said it doesn't suit me. I like using knives like Jackie."

"Then I will repeat what I have said; there is little to nothing I can teach you."

The young Master looked down dejectedly. Altoria frowned briefly at the sight; while she disregarded honor and chivalry, it would be a blemish on her if she left her young Master in such a state.

"…I suppose I can come and watch you, maybe offer some advice."

Harry perked back up, his eyes widening. "Really?"

Altoria nodded and paused when the child hugged her waist, uttering a muffled 'thank you' into her dress. Ah, what did the dancer do…?

She raised her hand and ruffled his hair, making him slightly coo in joy. She felt some blood rush to her cheeks, but it went down as quickly as it came. A few seconds later, he detached from her and pulled her arm forward, to which she obliged.

The pair kept walking and passing by doors and corridors, but the elusive Avenger was nowhere to be seen. They nevertheless kept going, eventually reaching the cafeteria. It wasn't lunchtime yet, so nobody was there…except for one person, with short hair and wore a blue kimono underneath a red jacket. She was sitting next to one of the tables, and a small cup of strawberry ice-cream was in front of her. She was currently locked in a staring contest with a white, furry dog-like creature wearing a ribbon around its neck.

"Hi there Shiki! Hi Fou!" called out Harry. The creature's pointy ears shot up and turned to Harry, before hopping off the table and jumping right into the child's outstretched arms.

"Fou!" it cried out, rubbing its little head on Harry's neck, to which he gladly responded by rubbing it behind the ears. The woman – Shiki Ryougi – calmly took a bite out of the ice-cream and turned to Harry.

"Hello Harry" she met Altoria's stare with her own. "Altoria." The pale-skinned woman twitched a finger; a child using that nickname was one thing, but from someone like her…no, Harry likes her. He wouldn't want a fight now. Maybe later.

"So, what is my little Master doing here? It isn't dinnertime yet."

"I'm looking for Daddy. Did you see him?" Harry asked as he stopped rubbing Fou, who jumped from his arms. Shiki shook her head in response and the raven-haired child's shoulders slumped again. Shiki stared at him for a moment before looking at her ice-cream and shrugging.

"Ehh, I'm not hungry anyway. How about I help you look for your dad?" Harry smiled again and nodded. The teenaged Assassin got up from the table and walked to them, throwing out her dessert on the way. As she passed him by, Harry grabbed her right hand so that he held both her and Altoria's hand. Shiki paused for a moment, but just shrugged again, so the duo-turned-trio sallied forth into the halls of Chaldea once more, with the furry little creature following them in silence.

The three walked for some time, checking the halls for any potential hiding spots or the like. Harry hummed a little tune he heard from Mozart as he walked hand-in-hand with two women.

"So, how are your studies going?" asked Shiki.

"I'm doing really good. All the teachers say I'm really smart, and Mommy sits with me if I need help."

"That's good; rushing into things like an idiot won't help you at all. I'm glad that I took a look at the lessons and asked Da Vinci to change some things." Altoria raised an eyebrow at her.

"You helped make Harry's schedule?"

"I just adjusted a few things. I went to a school like he did, so I took out some unnecessary things. Honestly, who is the idiot that thought quantum physics is a good subject for an eight-year-old?" she grumbled.

"What's that?"

"It's boring and unnecessarily complicated. You can read about it when you're older."

"Oh" remarked the young Master. "But Big Bro Cu is gonna teach me more runes soon, and Mr. Paracelsus said he wants to teach me some alchemy."

"Hoh? A budding young mage, are we?" asked the Dark King in a teasing tone. Harry ducked his head and blushed a little., to which Altoria chuckled. "Maybe when you're good enough, I'll let you be my court wizard."

"C-court wizard? Like that Merlin person Mordred told me about? She said he was a 'degenerate'. What does that mean?"

"…someone very annoying and shameful. If I ever meet him again, I will be having words with him" a low growl emanated from her lips. She turned to the child with a stern gaze. "I hope you will not have any such thoughts when you are in my court, my Master." Harry shrunk a little from her gaze, but he then pouted when he saw the smirk on the Saber's face.

Shiki just listened to their chat in silence, but her eyes narrowed when something moved near the corner of her eye, making her and the other two stop in their tracks. Her eyes flashed an eerie violet for a second and she stared at a point on the hall before closing her eyes and sighing.

"It was fine the first few minutes, but could you please come out now?"

Silence answered her, Harry and Altoria looking at Shiki in confusion. A few seconds later, another female appeared out of nowhere in front of the three. She wore a black, form-fitting suit that hung from her neck and stretched down her front, covering her breasts and ended above her knees. She had dark skin and short purple hair, along with a white skull mask that covered her face.

"Serenity!" Harry cried out, dashing over to the female and latching on to her. Hassan of the Serenity hesitated for a second before returning the hug and placing her head on his.

"Hello, Master" she greeted; her gentle voice laced with happiness.

"Oi, why didn't you show yourself earlier?" asked Shiki as she crossed her arms. "You were following him the whole time, weren't you?"

Serenity raised her head while still hugging Harry. "I apologize, but you are mistaken; I had left him for a moment and only joined you three a few minutes ago. I didn't wish to disturb you while you were talking, so I waited."

"Why did you leave him, or better yet why didn't you talk to him before?" asked Altoria.

The Hassan bowed her head. "I am truly sorry but…" she trailed off. Shiki just sighed in response, but didn't really blame her. Serenity was a little shy, even more so around Harry.

"Umm…Serenity?" asked Harry, prompting her to look down and meet his green eyes. "Can you…?" he gestured to her mask.

"…" the dark-skinned Assassin raised her hand and took off her mask, revealing a delicate face with dark-violet eyes. The young Master of Chaldea's smile grew as he tightened the hug, to which Serenity responded with a joyful smile. A small blush blossomed on her cheeks as she leaned down and rubbed her nose on Harry's hair.

"I am sorry I did not talk to you before Master but…I discovered where your father is."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, do you want me to take you to him?" The child fiercely nodded and Serenity let out a giggle, soft as wind-chimes. She turned, took him by the hand and walked down the hall. Behind them, Altoria and Shiki looked at each other for a moment and shrugged, before following the two.

The group soon reached the door of one of the spare bedrooms, probably unused since the Grand Order began thanks to the lack of staff. Serenity pressed a button next to the door and it opened, revealing the Count of Monte Cristo, dressed in his suit and cloak, sitting on the bed, and reading a book.

"Daddy!" Harry ran and leapt on the bed, fiercely hugging the white-haired man's side. Dantès however, barely flinched and calmly looked at his adoptive son.

"…Hello, Harry." He turned his gaze to the three women who accompanied him, more specifically, to Serenity. "I presume it was you who found me?"

"With all due respect to your skills Count Dantès, you weren't trying very hard to hide." He shrugged in a mix of nonchalance and resignation. 'I suppose she is not one of the Hassans for nothing.'

He turned to Harry again, who kept hugging him. Knowing that his son wouldn't let go anytime soon, he just sighed and positioned himself on the bed so that both he and Harry were comfortable, with him leaning on the bedside wall and Harry leaning on his chest. The three female Servants just leaned on the walls in silence, while Fou stood outside the door like a loyal dog.

"What are you reading Daddy?"

"…'The Three Musketeers'. Andersen was pestering me to read it, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

"…'The Three Musketeers'?" asked Altoria, a dark smirk forming on her face. "Isn't that written by–"

"Be silent, woman" shot Dantès with a scathing glare. "It was bad enough hearing it from that insufferable misanthrope."

"…is it good? What's it about?" asked Harry softly. The French Avenger's yellow eye twitched and he sighed.

"Yes, it is…decent. It's about a young man named D'Artagnan who joins the Royal Guard and meets three renowned Musketeers, who help him and guide him on his new life."

"Oh…" he said. "…were the three Musketeers heroes?"

"I suppose you could call them that."

"…so, he's like me?"

Dantès quirked an eyebrow at the comparison and it…made sense, in a weird way. D'Artagnan came from (relatively) humble beginnings and joined an organization tasked with protecting the king and his country, while meeting powerful allies on the way. If you changed a few background details then…the similarities were rather glaring.

Wait, if Harry was D'Artagnan…did that mean he was Athos?

He quickly shook the thought from his head. No, it was weird enough thinking about it.

The group lapsed in a comfortable silence, with only the occasional turning of the page disturbing it. The three women just watched from their positions on the wall, occasionally closing their eyes in unknown thoughts. Sometime later, Dantès stopped his reading and saw that Harry fell asleep, his face pressed against his chest.

Dantès closed the book and picked his Master/son up, alerting the women as he did so. Just as he was about to leave, he paused and looked at all three of them, before looking down at the child sleeping in his arms.

"Heh. How strange." Shiki tilted her head in curiosity.

"Hoh? What do you mean?" Dantès gestured to the three.

"Well, we are all not exactly what most people would call 'heroes', are we not? Two assassins, a corrupted version of a king and a vengeance-driven Count are not the pinnacle example of chivalry. A serial killer – perhaps the most infamous one in history – is an even bigger example. Hell, even the dancer was a spy in her time alive.

And yet, out of all of Chaldea's Servants, Harry put his trust in us the most, no?"

A pregnant pause filled the room as the three women considered the Avenger's words. Harry did seem to confide the most in the more un-heroic of the Servants. Apart from his obvious attachment to Jackie and Mordred, Altoria was a frequent bodyguard and guest whenever Harry went Material Farming, Shiki often helped out with Harry's homework, and he constantly hugged Serenity whenever he saw her. Why was that?

"…he's broken. Slightly warped, even."

The group was at first surprised by Shiki's words but realized that she did have a point. Harry's origins were known to all of his Servants, and combined with the…experiences…in the various Singularities, it would undoubtedly leave some mental scarring.

"Hmph, …empathetic attraction. He sees some of him in us, so he feels like he can trust us more." Remarked Altoria with a morbid smile. Dantès looked back at his son and adjusted him in his grip.

"Well, as his Servants and his family, we will have to make sure we don't betray his trust." All of the women nodded resolutely; if their mini-Master trusted them, then they were going to return the favor tenfold.

"Well, if you all don't mind, I will be returning him to his mother. God knows how she will coerce me to spend more time with him…" Dantès said with a roll of his eyes as he left the room, with Harry in his arms and leaning his raven head on his shoulder, Fou trailing behind them.

Altoria looked at the two as a ghost of a warm smile flickered on her face. They may not be 'heroes'…

…but to Harry, they were certainly more than that.

Hi guys! Here we are with a brand new chapter! As always, feel free to comment on this chapter (I really would like your thoughts on it) and leave ideas for future ones! Related to that:

1) I have crossposted this fic on Spacebattles and Fanfiction.net, so if you want to give further reviews, suggestions...or even chapters of your own, go there (specifically Spacebattles).

2) I am in DIRE need of someone who can help me with my work, and not just this one. As a fanfic writer, it is my joy and honor to give you, my readers, the best quality chapters I can. The problem is, I have trouble filling up the chapter with words or sometimes coming up with good dialogue, so I am basically looking for a consultant not just for this fic, but for my Assassin Among Heroes fic as well. If you feel up to the task or just have the time, PM me. (This does not mean I'll stop! I won't let that be an impassable wall for me!)

If you like this fic, check out my other stories and the challenges on my profile!

Read and Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**You know the drill...I don't own anything...**

**I hope you guys enjoy and constructive criticism is welcome!**

* * *

** Annales Priorum: Calor Nocte **

What was Harry doing?

We didn't think about this a lot since Harry spends a lot of time with us, but sometimes he went off somewhere we didn't know. We were usually doing something, like playing with Alice or Paul, but now we didn't have much to do. We could go look for other children, they were our friends, but the thought didn't appeal to us today. So, we wandered the halls, waving hello to some of the Servants we saw, but after a while we started to miss Harry. But where was he?

We paused and thought for a moment, where could Harry be. We already ate dinner, and we finished our lessons for today, so…

We suddenly noticed something; all of the lights in the hall were low. Also, there weren't as many Servants as there were a few hours ago…was it night time? We ran to one of the windows and sure enough, the snowy sky outside was dark.

That meant Harry was sleeping! We could sleep with him!

The thought made us happy as we rushed back down the hall, not afraid to run into anyone. We might be a little loud, but we didn't care.

We saw Harry's door in the distance and we saw it open and Mommy Hari stepping out. We quickly slowed down and she turned to look at us with a smile that made us feel warm inside.

"Hello Jackie. Are you here to sleep with Harry?"

We felt our cheeks flush, but we still nodded. We did it so many times that Mommy Hari knew just by looking at us.

"Don't worry" she giggled. "Harry very much enjoys sleeping with you. Serenity and I do it as well, but…" she leans down and whispered in our ear "…he always wakes up happier when you're with him."

Our eyes narrow for a moment at the mention of the other woman's name, but the warm feeling surged through us like the sun when we heard the last part. Harry loves it when we sleep with him. He loves it, we love it, we will do it more often!

"Just be careful not to wake him up. He's had a very tiring day."

She bent down and kissed us on the head, and we gave her a hug in return. "Good night, Jackie" she whispered.

As she walked away from us, we walked in the room and closed the door as quietly as possible, letting the darkness swallow us whole. But it wasn't like the darkness in the alleys of London, where everything was cold and scary. This was good darkness, one filled with warmth and life. We like the darkness, and this was our favorite. We saw the outlines of everything in the room, from the books to the toys and the closet. But the only thing that was important was the only bed in the room, from where we heard soft snores.

We tiptoed our way to the bed, our body climbing it on reflex due to the many times we have been here. We were about to creep under the covers when we noticed we still had our shoes on. Mommy Kitty taught us to never put shoes on beds and chairs, or it will ruin them. We didn't want Mommy to get upset with us, so we took off our shoes and gently placed them on the floor. Carefully lifting up the sheets, we crawl on the bed until we were face to face, his eyes closed peacefully.

We couldn't stop the warm smile that stretched on our face. We slowly slid our thin arms around him as we moved closer to his body. He twitched in his sleep for a moment before he reached out to us and pressed us close to him, nuzzling us.

Harry is _warm_ , so _warm_. Whenever we were with him, we would try and absorb as much of that warmth as we could. It calmed us, it protected us, just as we would protect him. His warmth pushes away the memories of those cold nights in London, where we were cast out, alone, abandoned, alone…

_Unwanted._

_Unloved._

But not with him. He was and is our sun, our light, our… _ours_.

We still remember…we will always remember…when we first felt that warmth…

* * *

_We felt it. We felt the call. We felt a warmth that we had never felt before. One that we looked for time and time again. It was right there, just out of our reach. A cry for help, a cry for warmth._

_Like a mommy._

_So we answered._

_Light filled our vision. Knowledge filled out mind. The human race is in danger. A Master was summoning us to help defeat the evil that was threatening humanity. Bits and pieces of knowledge we subconsciously filed away. We felt our form shift, like running through water, and the light died down._

" _We are Servant Assassin. Are you our mommy?"_

_What we saw…made us curious, to say the least._

_We had been summoned inside a burnt-out hovel. The stench of ash and death lingered all around us as fire –_ _**bad** _ _fire,_ _**dangerous** _ _fire – danced in the background. In front of us were three people; two young women, one with silver hair and a cold look on her face while the other was wearing some kind of armor, like the ones we saw on signs and drawings, but meant for a female. She had purple hair and looked relieved at the sight of us._

_The last one…the last one took us by surprise. He was a small boy, about our age, if not a little younger. His clothes were torn and he had messy black hair, accentuated by the soot covering his body. A set of broken glasses were on his face, slightly obscuring deep green eyes._

_What made him stand out though, was that unlike the two women, he was afraid. Not a fear of us, but a fear that many of us held. A fear that resulted in many of us out on the streets._

" _Um…I'm your M-Master" he stuttered in his frightened voice, raising his hand to show a set of red markings – 'command seals', we knew. They were shaped like three snakes, devouring each other in a circle._

" _Then you are our mommy!" When we looked at him, we felt warm. That's what mommy feels like!_

" _N-no, I'm n-not your m-mommy. I'm a M-Master" he turned to the armored woman. "R-right?"_

" _Um…yes, Harry. You are a Master. I think she just calls a Master 'mommy'" she replied._

" _As amusing as this talk is…" cut in the silver-haired woman. "I think we should focus on the matter at hand. Assassin, do you know what is the situation?"_

_We looked at her, our eyes slightly narrowing. She wasn't mommy. She was too cold._

" _Uh…A-Assassin?" the boy asked, his polar fingertips touching. We turned to face him, and he flinched under our gaze. "Could you...answer her?"_

_Our glare softened at his words. He felt so much like us, and he felt warm. Maybe he wasn't mommy, but he was still warm. We would listen to him._

" _Yes. Humanity is in danger. We are a Servant summoned to help save it."_

_The woman nodded. "Correct. I look forward to seeing what you can do." She turned around and started walking. "Kyrielight, stay here while I send some familiars out to scout. Keep an eye on the children." With those words, she headed outside the hovel._

_We returned our gaze to the frightened child. He was staring in the direction the woman had gone in and his little body was shaking. The armored woman – Kyrielight, we remember – looked at him with worry and made to comfort him, but by then we walked towards him (did we step off a shield?) and…wrapped our arms around him._

" _Eep!" he let out a little squeak as he stiffened, but we didn't let go as we held him tight. We felt his skinny body under the worn-out clothes…like us. We recognized his shaking…just as we once did in the dark nights of London. The fear in his eyes…we once held that fear too. Fear of not knowing what tomorrow would bring, the fear of those who look at us with scorn, like rats._

_But unlike us, he was_ _**warm** _ _._

_We leaned in a little and whispered soothing words to him, words we have heard other mothers tell their children, the ones they did not abandon. "It's alright. You are safe with us. Don't be scared. We are here."_

_His breathing, once quick and erratic, slowed down. His body, once rigid with fear, slowly relaxed. He hesitantly raised his own thin arms and wrapped them around our cloak. Both us stood there, leaning onto one another. A small rustling made our ears twitch and we saw the Kyrielight woman kneel down and rub our heads. It was nice._

"… _what's your name?" we ask._

"… _H-Harry."_

_Harry. We like it. It suits him. But do we tell him our name? The name that everyone in London feared? Will he run away from us? Will he abandon us?_

… _No, we feel his warmth, echoes of his thoughts. He is afraid, but he is enjoying our presence._

"… _Nice to meet you Harry. My name is Jack."_

* * *

When the monsters first came, we fought them off. Our knives cut all of them to pieces. When Harry cried, we hugged him tight. When the evil man appeared and killed the silver-haired girl, we held Harry close to us. The evil man then set his sights on Harry, we hacked off his filthy arm. When the black knight appeared to cut us down, we unleashed our Mist and **ripped** her to pieces.

After that, it ended. We were transported to Chaldea where the nice brown-haired lady (who wasn't Mommy) and the doctor person looked over us and Harry. They told Harry some things and Kyrielight (Mash, she was called) took Harry to his room. We followed, naturally.

We reached the room and entered behind them as Mash started explaining to him something. We didn't quite listen as we took in the room. By normal standards, we supposed it was very bare, but to us and probably Harry, it was like a palace bedroom. We were broken out of our thoughts when Harry let out a little yawn.

* * *

" _O-oh! Sorry, Harry. You must be tired" Mash exclaimed. She went to the small cupboard beside the bed and pulled out a set of clothes, most likely sleepwear. "You should get some sleep for now. I'll come and wake you up in the morning. Do you need help with anything?"_

_Harry stared at the pile of clothes in his arms. Like us, it was obvious that he never had anything this nice before in his life. "T-this is…for me?"_

_Mash nodded, although we saw that she looked a little confused. She most likely didn't understand what was going on in Harry's mind, but we did. He would be uncomfortable in asking her for help._

" _We will help him" Mash looked at us in slight surprise, as did Harry, although his eyes seemed to lose some of the nervousness he had a few seconds ago. A lot of it was still there. He looked at us in that same fear and confusion before we nodded to him, a smile on our face. He could trust us._

_He turned to Mash again. "Thank you"_

_The girl smiled gently at him before leaning down and hugging him, making him squeak again. She stifled a giggle at his reaction and left the room waving at us._

_That left the two of us, Harry unsure what to do. He looked at us expectantly, and we gestured to the sleepwear. He looked like he wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. He fiddled with the clothing for a bit before he drooped a little and started taking off his clothes. We turned around slightly while looking from the corner of our eye. What we saw didn't surprise us, but it didn't stop that awful feeling from settling in our body; his frame was very thin, he didn't seem like he had enough food, and there was a mark or two that stood out. We knew what it was._

_Eventually, he put on his sleepwear on and looked at the bed in uncertainty. He wasn't used to something this extravagant (to him, it was – only thanks to some knowledge the summoning gave us we knew this was normal for people today)._

_We dispelled our cloak and walked over to the bed. When we reached it, we turned to him and motioned him to come over with a smile. His eyebrows perked up in surprise, but he came over hesitantly. We jumped on the bed and slowly pulled him up with us. He sat on the bed for a moment, and we felt his hidden delight as he felt the mattress and covers. So did we. They were warm._

_He took off his broken glasses and placed on the nightstand next to the bed. He paused to look at the little light-switch next to it before flicking it, turning off the lights. In one swift movement, we jumped under the covers and pulled him under with us, making him slightly freeze up. We said nothing, but held him tight, lightly rubbing our hands up and down his thin back and pressing him to us._

" _It's alright, go to sleep. We will be here; we will protect you." His breath slowed down as we kept holding him. Like before, he slowly hugged us, but this time his grip was stronger._

_If we were a cat, we would have been purring with joy at the_ _**warmth** _ _we felt. Now, with the fear of battle and the_ _**evil** _ _fires behind us, we truly basked in the warmth he gave us. Such wonderful, wonderful warmth…_

_And so did he, if the way he snuggled with us is any indication._

_We let ourselves drift off to sleep, letting the warmth envelop us like a cocoon…_

* * *

**(Play Elfen Lied – Lilium)**

That night we dreamt, but not of misty London. We dreamt of a flash of green light and the scream of a woman. Of cold nights in a cramped space. Of angry voices yelling at us, calling us 'freak'. Of aching hands and feet as we worked for them, lest they lock us up. Of tears and pain as they enjoyed our misery. Of a plea for help, when we could take it no more…

* * *

_We woke with a start to the thrashing of a body held tight against us. We didn't hesitate to tighten our grip and whisper in his ear._

" _It's okay...it's alright…you're safe…you're here…shhh…shhh"_

_He thrashed around for a few moments, all the while we kept whispering in his ear. His body slacked for a moment, and we thought he stopped…only for him to clutch us and let out a heart-wrenching sob._

_In his cries, we heard his pain, his confusion, his fear, his terror,_ _**everything** _ _. We said nothing, we didn't have to; we just held him as he let it all out._

_He kept sobbing for a few more minutes as we held him. When he slowly stopped, he leaned back a little and looked at us in the eyes, his own green eyes tear-stained and bloodshot. We held the stare and pressed our forehead to his own, rubbing his arm in comfort._

" _I-is what the d-d-doctor said true? That we h-have to s-s-save the world?" he asked, sniffling._

_We nod._

" _B-but-but-but how do I d-d-do that!? I d-don't know a-anything about t-this! I-I just learned that m-magic is real! And I-I-I-"_

" _Shh…shh..shh…" we whispered, calming him down. "We told you, we will protect you, we will fight for you. You are our Master; through us, we will win."_

_Harry looked at us still sniffling, still distraught over the situation. Not that we expected any different; with what we saw from his life, it was remarkable how he hadn't_ _**completely** _ _collapsed._

" _Why don't we ask the nice doctor tomorrow more about this? Mash seems like she knows a lot too" a flicker of hesitation appeared at the question, so we cut it. "They feel like good people. We can trust them."_

_He nodded, his eyes blinking as he started to succumb to sleep. Before he fell asleep though, he asked us something that surprised us._

" _I…I had a dream. I saw children, l-lots of children, living on the streets, thrown out of homes, d-d-dying in a river. The children suddenly turned b-black, and I was standing in front of a w-woman and…" he stifled back a sob._

" _B-B-Blood. L-lots of b-blood."_

_He raised his head to look us in the eyes._

"… _was that you?"_

_We laid there, still clutching him, a wave of fear flowing through our bodies. A Dream Cycle, a voice whispered, showing each other our lives. We said nothing, waiting for him to continue. Would he run away? Would he reject us? Abandon us?_

"… _yes."_

_He looked down and lay still…before pressing his head to our shoulder, making us gasp._

"… _did you mean it? Would you protect me?" he asked with a whisper._

…

"… _yes. You are like us. We know what it's like. You don't have to feel like that anymore."_

…

"… _Thank you…thank you…" With that, he drifted off, his soft breaths echoing in our ears._

_We lay there, our eyes wide in shock before we felt our lips stretch into a very happy smile. We held him once more, basking in his warmth…and acceptance._

_We felt it through our link. He was afraid, but he didn't care. He saw our past, he saw what we became, and yet he didn't care. He wanted us. He didn't abandon us. He accepted us._

We look at Harry's happy face as he sleeps, and observe what we have now. A home we could return to, hot food every day, friends we could play with, a lot of Mommies to be with…

…but best of all, we had Harry. _**Our**_ precious Harry.

We let ourselves drift off as we float in the warmth that we share, happily knowing that it would still be there when we awoke.

' _We swore to protect you, our Harry. We will never forget that promise. We will do everything to protect our warmth…_

… _forever and always.'_

* * *

**Hi guys! I know, so soon!? But the muse kept singing, so I went with the rhythm! As many of you request, this is the first of the flashback chapters, or the "Annales Priorum" (Records of the Past in Latin). As you can see, here Harry is Jack's first Servant. As I said, Jack holds a special place in my heart, since she is my first SSR. She and Harry are very fitted for each other, considering their pasts and desire for companionship.**

**As always, feel free to suggest any ideas for future chapters and give your thoughts on this one either in the reviews or PMs! This story is on Spacebattles and Fanfiction.net as well, remember that!**

**Go check out my profile for my other stories and challenges!**

**Read and Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! My muse is singing, so here's a new chapter! This is the longest chapter on this story to date, capping off at 7.6K words, so I hope you do enjoy it and constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**I do not own Harry Potter or Type-Moon.**

* * *

**Food and a Good View Can Solve Nearly** **Anything**

_Some time after the London Singularity…_

"I must say, your tea is as excellent as always Tamamo."

"Why, thank you Margaretha. I only wish that I still had some of my homeland's teas. Then you could see how good I really am!"

"I find it hard to believe that your tea could get any better, Lady Tamamo."

The fox-woman's ears twitched at the praise she was given. Mata Hari and Jeanne D'Arc giggled at the sight from behind their teacups. Currently, the three beautiful women were sitting in a room that looked like it was taken out of a fairy tale or medieval palace; gorgeous velvet walls, large and comfortable sofas, elegant drawings and paintings courtesy of the more artistic servants, a dazzling crystal chandelier and other minutiae that served to further enrich the room.

Sitting in various other soft chairs were the architects of the room, in addition to a few guests: Queen Marie Antoinette, who was flanked by Charles-Henri Sanson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In another chair was Mash Kyrielight, who was invited to the impromptu tea-party by Jeanne.

After the Orleans Singularity, the French Servants who accompanied Harry on his return to Chaldea had the idea of sprucing up the dull rooms of the facility (at least, one of them) and gave the suggestion of transforming this particular room into a lounge worthy of European royalty, to allow the Servants and staff a place to unwind in peace. Da Vinci was intrigued by the idea, and with the help of the recently-summoned Paracelsus (and copious abuse of the two's Item Construction Skill – A and EX rank, respectively), they transformed the once spartan lounge into "La Salle de L'élégance", a room that made even the halls of Versailles look tame in comparison. It had been a resounding hit with everyone, from the newcomers to even Harry, who would sometimes be seen there with one of the children and an older Servant, doing whatever caught his fancy.

"Tamamo, I have a question, if you would indulge me" asked Mata Hari.

"Of course. What is it?"

"You've been with us for a good amount of time now, but I haven't got the chance to ask how you were acclimating. Not to be rude, but I'm sure, that like the rest of us, a place like Chaldea is starkly different from any place that existed from your time, even more so for you."

Tamamo put her teacup down and looked up in thought. "Well, you're right in that this place is completely different than anything I saw in Japan, or even Takamagahara. I might have seen a place like this before…or was it something else? Maybe the last time I was summoned…" she trailed off for a moment, but then quickly shook her head. "But it's amazing! To think that I would have the opportunity to do something like…this" she gestured at the group "with fellow legends as myself is nothing that I would ever dream of!"

"Besides…I think it's better this way" The other females shot her a confused look while Mozart and Sanson raised a questioning eyebrow. "Whenever Servants like us get summoned, it's usually for a Holy Grail War, right?" The others nodded.

"Well, in such a war, we don't get to have a friendly talk with anyone but our Master, if we're lucky. All we are to them are means to an end, and our Masters' wishes are above our own, whatever they may be. But here? I'm surrounded by so many interesting people, from different eras and different places! I can talk to them freely, I have fun with them, I'm…free, in a way" She rubbed her eye as the group smiled at her. All of what she said _was_ true. Here in Chaldea, they were essentially given an odd second chance at life, the looming threat to humanity notwithstanding.

"What you say is correct, Lady Tamamo" said Jeanne. "As a Ruler, I am only summoned as an arbitrator if a Grand Holy Grail War occurs. I ensure that no-one breaks the rules of the War, but other than that, I do nothing but watch as the Servants and Masters kill each other off for the Grail, and better yet, most of the time it ends in failure" A small round of chuckles went around the group. "So having this opportunity to talk and be with other Servants peacefully is…refreshing to say the least."

The Japanese Caster nodded as she poured herself some more tea. "Of course, it helps that we all have such a cutie for a Master! Margaretha, how is the little _kitsune_ doing?"

"Oh, as well as always" the dancer replied. "Da Vinci and his teachers say that he's keeping up with his studies very well, and he's gotten better at issuing orders on the battlefield thanks to Mordred and Altoria. There's also always someone to play with him or look after him, so I'm very pleased to say that he's enjoying himself."

"I'm very happy to hear that. Did you know that he helped me cook those cookies we ate for our tea party last week?"

"Did he? Oh, I didn't know. I thought for sure they were yours or Emiya's. I'll make sure to thank him later."

"Well, at this rate, he'll be a master chef in no time with all the times he is with us in the kitchen."

Mata Hari giggled at the thought of her little Harry with a chef's hat on his head. "I'll hold you to it Tamamo. You _are_ keeping an eye on him when cooks though, right?"

"Of course, both me and Emiya. None of us want the little _kitsune_ getting injured like that."

The group nodded and went back to their teas. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sanson spoke up.

"Forgive me if the question is a little too prying, Mademoiselle Zelle, but how are things going with Harry's father?"

The group all turned to Mata Hari, who blinked at the attention before fiddling with her teacup.

"He is…still the same, mostly. He joins us at lunchtime more often, but he tends to hide away most of the time. He plays with Harry if he finds him of course, usually they read together, but he doesn't spend time with him as much as me or Jackie. Socializing is just not his…forte."

A chuckle escaped Sanson's lips. "Indeed, that does sound like Monsieur Dantès. Have you tried to talk to him about it?"

"Of course, several times in fact, it's just…it's not that he doesn't listen, but more like he hesitates to try, and he gets rather antsy when anyone who isn't Harry gets into his personal space. You've all seen what happened to Mordred or Cú Chulainn the few times they goaded Dantès to a fight."

The group all winced at the mention of those particular incidents. They barely lasted a minute, yet Dantès smashed both of them to the wall with minimal effort – once, both at the same time!

"I understand why he's like that, but I wish he just wasn't so difficult to talk to…" Mata Hari trailed off as she stared into her cup, a worried expression on her beautiful face. The others gained a similarly worried look as well. Jeanne however, seemed to look the most worried. Along with Tamamo, she was the Dutch dancer's best friend. They talked to each other all the time, and trusted each other well enough to share their concerns, their joys…

…as well as the darker parts of their respective pasts.

"Margaretha…I am your friend, right?"

"Yes…" the dancer responded.

"You know that you can tell me or Lady Tamamo anything, right?"

"Yes…" Mata Hari tilted her head in confusion. Where was she going with this?

Jeanne took a deep breath, praying that her friend wouldn't get upset, and asked her:

"Has Dantès ever…hurt you?"

…

…

…

Maragaretha stared at Jeanne wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock. Tamamo did the same, but covered her mouth with her hand. The French Servants simply settled on being wide-eyed.

"NO! No! Why would you think…?" the Assassin shook her head. "No, he never so much as touched me! I know that he can give off that feeling sometimes, but Dantès never did such a thing! He never even so much as insulted me! Do you really think that I would try to help someone who does _that!?"_

Jeanne winced at her friend's remark, the guilt even more so considering her history.

"Besides, if you don't trust my word, think of Harry! Do you think that Harry, with his own past, would ever consider someone like that as a father!?"

"…" Jeanne looked down in shame. She was right; how could she even think that!?

"…I am sorry, Margaretha, if I have insulted you. I thank you for reminding me that your son would not have chosen Dantès if he was as uncaring as I thought he was. I'm just concerned about you."

Mata Hari closed her eyes and exhaled slightly. She knew that, she shouldn't get mad at Jeanne (nor would she), but still, as a saint, she should have a little more faith her.

Tamamo looked at her two friends with concern before raising the teapot. "Would you both like some more tea? It'll help you calm down."

The two responded with a "yes, please" and the Caster refilled their teacups (the French Servants declined). The group sat in silence, trying to dissipate the tension.

It was then that Marie Antoinette chimed up.

"If you all don't mind, then I have a suggestion" The group turned to look at her. "I agree that you need to talk to Monsieur Dantès, but I also agree that trying to force the issue onto him won't work. So why don't we try a more…delicate solution."

The dancer raised an eyebrow. "Delicate solution? What do you mean?"

The former queen of France clapped her hands together and replied with a smile:

" _Facile_ ; go with Monsieur Dantès on a date."

…

…

…

"WHAT!?"

The palatial room echoed with the dumbfounded yell of the group, with Mata Hari's being the loudest. Marie blinked at the outburst but didn't seem upset at it.

"A d-date?" the dancer stammered. "With Dantès?"

"Yes, a date. It is the best solution for this _petit problème_."

"…I would like an explanation as to how is this exactly a solution, Marie- _jou_ " said Tamamo with an incredulous expression.

"Well, you told us that Monsieur Dantès seems to try and dodge the issue, non? He listens to what you have to say, but he keeps trying to dodge the issue, in some cases literally. So we just provide you both with a setting that you can talk about it while not making it seem feel too forced, that way maybe the issue will finally settle in his mind."

Everyone blinked at Marie's surprisingly insightful explanation. It…sounded reasonable, on paper at least, which was rather a surprise for anyone who knew the flighty queen.

"But…why a date?"

"Because it's more romantic this way of course!"

Aah, there it was.

"Umm…Marie, I appreciate your enthusiasm and your willingness to help me, but what does romance exactly have to do with this?"

The former queen tilted her head innocently. "What do mean? Are you not both Harry's parents?"

"Yes…but we're not romantically involved."

"O-oh. Well, then surely you have at least spent some time together, just the two of you?"

Mata Hari looked down with a blush as she fiddled with her cup. Marie's eyes widened at the action before she gasped in shock.

"You haven't even spent time together!?"

"…you know what he's like" muttered the dancer. Marie slammed her fist on her open palm.

"That won't do at all! This is even more important than I thought! Tonight, my dear Margaretha, you and Dantès will go on a date!"

The Dutch woman tried to utter a response, but gave up when she saw her friend's determined expression. When she got like this, there was no changing her mind.

"…um, one problem" interjected Tamamo. "How are you going to convince Dantès to come?"

Marie paused for a moment, placing a finger on her chin, before turning to look at Sanson with an imploring glint in her eye. The executioner tried to look away, but soon relented at his queen's unspoken command with a sigh.

"Don't worry, Mademoiselle Zelle, I will convince Monsieur Dantès to come. I promise you."

Mata Hari nodded hesitantly, an unsure look on her face before Marie turned to her and smiled.

"Oh, cheer up Margaretha! I'll make sure you two have the best first date ever! I'll just need to enlist some help from…"

The dancer shook her head mirthfully as Marie babbled on enthusiastically. _'Maybe this won't turn out so bad…I just hope Dantès will feel the same way."_

* * *

"Eeh? A date with Margaretha and Dantès?" asked a shocked Da Vinci.

"Yes!" Marie nodded. "And I was hoping that you could let us use the Rayshift for that!"

"…could you elaborate on that?" asked Dr. Roman, a similarly puzzled look on his face.

The two women and the doctor were sitting in the command room, where the monitors for the Rayshift system and part of the CHALDEAS computer resided.

"You see, our dear Margaretha has a few issues with Monsieur Dantès that need to be addressed. Nothing too bad mind you, just things that need to be said. So I suggested that they go out on a date to resolve these issues."

"…I would ask why a date, but knowing you Marie, I'm not sure I want to know" muttered the inventor before rubbing her forehead. "Do you really think it would help them?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have even suggested it if I didn't think it would help!" She ignored Da Vinci's deadpan stare. "Leonora, I truly believe that this little date will help bring them closer together. Even if they don't resolve _everything_ , it will help them get more comfortable around each other, and I'm certain that our little Master would be very happy if his parents didn't shrug the other off all the time; maybe even Dantès won't be so hesitant to spend more time with him." While Da Vinci still looked skeptical, Romani rubbed his chin in thought.

"She has a point." Da Vinci snapped her head at him in shock. "What? It wouldn't hurt for them to have a little one-on-one, and if it will help Harry, then all the better."

The Renaissance (wo)man tried to mutter a response, but the more she thought it over, the more logical it seemed. In the end, she relented with a sigh.

"…well, the main Singularities are stable enough not to collapse…alright, you convinced me. I'll let them use the Rayshift. Mind you, I don't know if any food they bring over will survive the trip."

"Oh" muttered Marie before scratching her chin. "Then we'll just have to prepare the food there and leave it for them!"

"You've certainly given this a lot of thought…" said Romani. "Where do you plan on them having this date?"

"Don't worry, I know just the place! One of my former subjects talked about it quite often..."

* * *

"I'll do it."

Tamamo blinked at the response. She was prepared for him to doubt her and give him the explanation (the one that Marie gave), but she didn't expect the Archer to agree so quickly.

"What?" asked Emiya, noticing the Caster's surprised look. "I think it's a good idea. It'll give them a chance to talk, and I'm sure some good food will help with the conversation."

"Y-yes, that's what I was thinking" Tamamo quickly shook herself out of her stupor and pulled open a drawer next to the kitchen sink. The state-of-the-art kitchen of Chaldea had become her and Emiya's little kingdom, and many a Servant and staff member were left weeping with joy at their creations. "Marie told me we'll have to cook in the Singularity using ingredients we'll find there, so we can only bring utensils or cooking equipment."

"Oh really? Well, that might pose a problem." Tamamo shook her head.

"Not as much as you think. I read up a bit on the area, and where we're going should have plenty of ingredients to make good food."

"I see. Let me get a few things and we'll be off." The fox-woman nodded and they began gathering the cooking equipment. Tamamo was about to reach for a cutting board when a stray thought came to her mind.

"Say, Emiya, how _did_ you guess that this date could help them?"

The tanned Archer just shrugged, but a small, nearly unnoticeable blush could be seen on his cheeks.

' _Experience is both a reward and a curse…at least Dantès doesn't have to think of three…'_

* * *

"Ooh, I am indeed intrigued by this prospect!"

Mata Hari and Marie were sitting in front of a blond woman with green eyes wearing a gorgeous red dress. The blonde had welcomed them into her room, and grew starry-eyed at Marie's plan. Mata Hari though just blushed in embarrassment and fiddled with her dress.

"I am glad you came to me, _amicis meis!_ I feel for your cause so do not fret! For I, Emperor Nero, shall help you in your endeavor!" replied the woman as she gestured to herself dramatically.

"…what's wrong with my dress?" asked the dancer, red-faced. Nero walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Margaretha, a woman of your beauty should always look the best no matter where she is! The fact that this is your first outing with a man since your arrival, even with one as odd as Edmond Dantès, only makes this even more necessary!"

The Roman Emperor turned to her closet and opened a slew of rich, high-quality fabrics. "So you can put your trust in me, and I assure you, I will have a dress perfect for the occasion!"

The Dutch woman sighed once more in resignation as Marie patted her on the shoulder. " _Impératrice Néron?_ The date will not be in an indoor setting, so just keep that in mind."

"Umu! Do not worry, by the time I'm done, not even Dantès will look coldly at you! Now, come here for a second while I measure your…"

* * *

"…and that's why I would be very grateful if you could watch over Harry for the evening and tuck him in if I return too late."

Atalanta raised an eyebrow in a mixture of amusement and disbelief at the Assassin. The children's laughter in the background took away part of her attention, but she still had plenty left to process what Mata Hari just said.

"A date with Count Dantès? I would say that whoever thought of this idea might need to check their head – no offense – but considering what I've heard about Marie Antoinette, I guess I'm not _too_ off the mark…" the cat-eared huntress smiled softly. "Of course I'll watch over Harry for the evening. It will give me a chance to bond more with the little kitten."

Mata Hari let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Atalante. Harry's very happy that there's another Servant who's so willing to play with him."

"Think nothing of it; I'm always happy to be with the children. Should I call him over and explain?"

"Yes, it would make him happy to hear that."

The Archer nodded and turned around. "Oh Harry! Could you come over here for a second?"

A few seconds later and the young Master of Chaldea came scurrying towards the two, and the smile on his face grew at the sight of his mother.

"Mommy!" he jumped at the dancer, who caught him laughing and hugged him close.

"Hello there, _schatje._ Are you having fun with Jackie?"

"Mmm-hmm! We're playing with this really cool toy Miss Da Vinci made us! Do you wanna see?"

A giggle came from the mother's lips. "Of course Harry. I'm sure that Da Vinci's toy is a wonder, like everything else she makes. How is Miss Atalanta treating you?"

"She's really nice! She says she loved being with me and Jackie" he turned to the huntress. "Thank you, Miss Atlanta!"

The huntress paid no mind to the mispronunciation, instead she giggled warmly. "You're welcome little kitten. I'm always happy to be with a child as cute as you."

Harry looked down with a blush on his little cheeks, to which the two women giggled again.

"Harry" the child looked up at his mother. "Mommy is going to spend some time with Daddy tonight, so you're going to have more fun with Miss Atalanta! If you need anything, ask her!" Harry tilted his head in thought.

"You're going to spend some time with Daddy? Why?"

"Well, Mommy just feels like she and Daddy need to spend more time together. You know how I always spend time with you? I've been feeling lately that I haven't paid enough attention to Daddy."

"Oh…I'm sorry" Harry looked down, only for Mata Hari to gently pull him back up by the chin.

" _Schatje,_ none of this is your fault. It's just that Daddy is always…" she paused as she thought of the best way to phrase it to him. "Lonely. I want him to feel less lonely, that way we can both spend more time with you."

"Oh, okay!" Harry replied. "When you're done…can you and Daddy come and put me to sleep?" he asked with pleading eyes.

Mata Hari didn't hesitate as she leaned down and pressed her forehead to his. "I promise."

Harry smiled and nuzzled her before jumping off her lap and dashed to hug Atalanta, who picked him up and rubbed her cheek at his face while lightly purring.

"Don't worry, little kitten. We'll have a lot of fun together this evening. How about I tell you and Jackie a few stories from my adventures?"

* * *

"I must have misheard you, _what_?"

The question came from an incredulous Dantès, who was sitting in the library with Sanson standing in front of him, the executioner's face not showing a trace of emotion.

"I want you to attend this date with Mademoiselle Zelle."

"…I do not even have the words to reply to this."

"That's good, because you're going."

The Count of Monte Cristo dragged his gloved hand over his face and let out a sound that was halfway between a sigh and a growl, something that would have sent most people cowering. But not Sanson.

"Tell me, why should I even entertain the thought of this…utterly ridiculous idea?"

"Only if you tell me why are you so opposed to the idea in the first place."

"Because I have better things to do than _that_!"

"Like what? Reading a book, which you can do at any time?"

Dantès growled and stood up, staring Sanson with his yellow eyes that flickered a dangerous light. He stood a few centimeters taller than the executioner, and combined with his cloak and intimidating aura, it certainly showed.

"Give me one good reason why should I even consider this."

" _Comme tu veux: ton fils."_

The Avenger's glare lessened ever-so-slightly. "Harry? What's he to do with this?"

"It is because that you are his father. Mademoiselle Zelle is afraid that you are going to push Harry away at some point when his desire for your affection crosses whatever personal line you have set for yourself. From what I have heard, it is only by luck, the help of other Servants or when you wish it that he finds you when he wishes to simply be with you. She hopes that on this date, you can both talk about this issue _properly_ and understand you better so nothing bad will happen. Is that enough of a reason? Or is the famed _Comte de Monte Cristo_ so entrenched in his solitude and bitterness that he is willing to push away his own son, who admires him as much as his mother?"

Dantès clenched his gloved fists to hold himself and his flames back at the executioner's suggestion that he would even _think_ of doing that to Harry, staring him down with barely restrained anger. Yet Sanson didn't twitch and calmly met his yellow eyes with his own icy-blue ones. They locked gazes for what seemed like hours (but was little more than a minute), and the more stared at Sanson, the more he started to mull them over in his mind.

He knew that he was rather unsocial, but was he being _that_ unsocial that he was driving away Harry?

Sanson saw the nearly-unseen 'crack' in the Count's aura and continued. "It is nothing more than a simple dinner. No-one else will observe you, it will be just the two of you, so you needn't worry about unnecessary invasion of privacy. Besides, do you have any problem with Mademoiselle Zelle herself?"

"…No." As far as women went, Mata Hari was interesting. She was polite, respected his personal space, never tried to pester him too much, accepted (read: encouraged) his acceptance of being his Master's adoptive father, yet unlike most women of his time, had very much a backbone and was willing to defend both Harry and himself despite her being one of the weakest Servants in Chaldea.

Her physical beauty was high too, although that was of little concern to him. In many ways, she was like… _'no, she is not her. Like Harry is not Haydee. Yet, that is a good thing.'_

Dantès pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Very well."

Sanson gestured to him with a roll of his wrist. "Very well…?"

"I'll attend this…date. For Harry."

"Of course. For our little Master." The executioner gave a courteous nod and headed for the exit, but then stopped and called over his shoulder.

"Be at the Rayshift Deployment Room at 20:30, and wear something respectable!" With that, he left the library, leaving Dantès by himself.

He shook his head in dismay as he wondered what he got himself into. _'Well, with her at least I can expect it not to end terribly. I now once again must thank my old noble lessons…this had better be worth the headache.'_

* * *

**20:30, Rayshift Deplyoment Room**

"Don't get so stressed, it'll ruin your look."

"Don't you have anything better to do than pester me?"

"I already did a full diagnostic on the system and Da Vinci is up in the command room, so until your date arrives? Not really."

Dantès took a deep breath to avoid throttling the annoying doctor. He abandoned his cloak, and his outfit was just his usual suit and hat, albeit they looked cleaner than usual. The two were standing next to the Deployment Coffins waiting for Mata Hari to show up.

The Count looked up at the holographic globe that was the CHALDEAS Terminal. "I was never told where exactly we would be going."

"That's because it's a surprise for the both of you. It's well out of the way of any villages or people so no-one will intrude, and there are little to no beasts or monsters there. Nothing should interrupt you."

"'Should'?"

Roman shrugged helplessly. "It's a Singularity; we've cleared it, but there's always a chance of something happening."

"Hm. Fair enough. Even if something should arise, I will take care of it."

The two were drawn from their conversation at the sound of footsteps echoing throughout the chamber. Dantès turned and raised an intrigued eyebrow at the source, while the doctor's jaw dropped.

Into the chamber came Mata Hari, wearing a dress he had never seen her in before. It was emerald-green in design, with black and purple embroideries on the lower half, which opened in the middle. Two straps held the dress up by the shoulders, while helping to press the top part to her chest. The dress hugged her figure, not too tight to be too revealing, but enough to accentuate her beauty. Her brown hair fell freely below her shoulders and down to her waist, and her large earrings and red hair-flowers were not present.

"I'm sorry!" she said, walking up to the two men. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Ah, n-no, y-you're just in time" stuttered a blushing Roman. "I-if you'll e-excuse m-me, I'll go upstairs a-and just…" he trailed off and ran to the command room before the blush completely overtook his face.

Mata Hari waved to the flustered doctor and turn to Dantès, looking him up and down. "You know, that is exactly how I expected you to show up in."

"Oh? Should I have worn something else?" The dancer giggled.

"No, this suits you the best. It makes you look rather dashing." The Count did nothing but give her a silent stare that lasted a few seconds before nodding.

"Your dress is…unique. I didn't know you had something like that in your possession."

"Oh, this?" she gestured to her dress. "This is something Nero prepared for me. She was very adamant about giving me a new dress."

"The Roman Empress, a seamstress? Well, I suppose it isn't too ludicrous considering her flair for the theatrical."

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Da Vinci's voice boomed out of the loudspeakers. "Alright, you know the drill, since Harry isn't coming, we'll have to beam you down individually, so into the coffins you go. Margaretha, I just want to say that your dress is stunning and knowing who made it, it won't get ruined on the trip. Dantès? Try to have fun."

Dantès grumbled at the remark while Mata Hari smiled in thanks. She turned to the Count and curtseyed to him. "I'll see you on the other side, Count Dantès."

The Count's lips twitched. "Hm. Likewise, Sunlit Dancer."

The two turned and headed for the Coffins. Once they were each in front of one, the Coffin doors opened with a loud hiss and they stepped in. After adjusting themselves, the doors closed over them with a hiss.

"Ok, let's do this. Destination set, Spiritron Conversion activated, CHALDEAS System stable and functioning, commencing Rayshift in three, two, one…"

**-SHIFT-**

Dantès heard Mata Hari's groan first before his eyesight quickly adjusted.

"Urgh…are you okay?" she asked, rubbing her head.

"Hrn...yes" he took in the view for the first time, illuminated by the moon. A canopy of trees obscured the night sky and the cool evening air flew past their faces. They seemed to have landed in a forest. But where?

A familiar voice in the Avenger's head made him pause.

" _Dantès, can you hear me?"_ asked Da Vinci.

"Yes, I hear you."

" _Oh good, the Spiritron Comms System is working. In some ways communication with the Servants directly is easier. Anyways, you'll find the spot for your date just a little up ahead. Enjoy your date!"_

"Hrn" he looked to see the female Assassin giving him a 'what was that?' look.

"Da Vinci says our spot is just up ahead." She gave him an 'oh' of acknowledgment and got up from the ground, Dantès following suit. They both began heading into the forest, and the Count could see the flickering of a fire from behind the trees. They went past the last line of green, and Dantès stared in barely-concealed surprise at the view.

In front of them was a green clearing, the trees surrounding it in a crescent shape. Small rocks and flowers were scattered throughout it, the moonlight bathing it in an ethereal glow. A small campfire was in the center of the clearing with various items near it, illuminating the clearing even further, along with a wooden table and two short logs carved in the shape of chairs, no doubt the spot that Da Vinci referred to. While the thoughts behind the setting up of this spot intrigued him, it wasn't what caught Dantès by surprise: it was the view after the clearing. An enormous valley lay out before them, surrounded by towering mountains that bore spots of green and black. Up further was a large shadow that stretched out to the horizon, bordered by more patches of yellow and green. But Dantès knew exactly what that shadow was, how could he not?

A sailor never forgets the sea.

A tap on his shoulder jolted him from his stupor, and he turned to see Mata Hari's arm back away, her eyes showing glimmers of concern. "Are you alright?"

Dantès blinked and stood still for a moment before nodding. "Nothing, I just…didn't expect it to be this. Although, considering who set up this whole endeavor, I really should have seen it coming."

The dancer giggled. "I suppose you're right" She turned to take in the view herself. "Though I haven't been to this specific place before. Do you recognize it?"

"If my geography is still accurate…I believe that we are somewhere in the Pyrenees, the eastern part if the shape of the cove is anything to go by."

"Oh? You've been here before?" The Count's lips thinned as a very murky memory flashed in his mind.

"…nearby. Enough to recognize the mountains."

Mata Hari's eyes widened by a fraction, but returned them to normal and nodded. She looked at the campfire and gestured to it with flair. "Shall we, my Count?"

Dantès responded to her playful smile with his own amused smirk. "After you, _mademoiselle_."

The two walked to the campfire and saw that two pots lay next to it. Dantès gently lifted the pots, his gloved hands ignoring their heat, and placed them on the wooden table's sides, where two dinner sets were placed opposite each other (a plate, a bowl, a knife, a fork and a spoon). He opened the first pot's lid to reveal a shimmering soup filled with vegetables. He uncovered the second pot and saw a beef stew simmering in liquid, topped with carrots and herbs.

" _Daube Provencal_ , huh? It's been a while" he muttered. He saw the dancer's inquisitive gaze. "These are local dishes. Looks like your friends did their research."

"Are they good?"

"Knowing who cooked them? I would be appalled if they weren't." Dantès grabbed a ladle from next to the fire. "Soup, _mademoiselle_?"

"Tee-hee. Of course, _monsieur_."

He poured the soup into her bowl before his, letting its aroma waft over them. It _definitely_ smelt good, even more so by the pleased expression on Mata Hari's face. He gestured her to sit down, which she did with a smile. He followed suit, took off his hat and put it on the ground.

" _Bon Appetit."_

" _Bon Appetit."_

They started sipping the soup at a leisurely pace, no words exchanged between them as they enjoyed the dish. As expected, the soup was magnificent; fresh, balanced and fulfilling. Mata Hari looked at Dantès as she lowered her spoon for another sip; while his face retained its usual stoic expression, the way he calmly drank the soup and the lack of rigidness in his movements meant he was relaxed, or as relaxed as he could be. ' _He's calm and enjoying this. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen him like that, outside of him spending time with Harry.'_

Her smile persisted as she kept sipping.

A few minutes later, their bowls were empty.

"More soup, or can we move on to the _entrée_?"

"The entrée, please." Dantès nodded and served her a generous portion of the stew, giving himself a similar portion. They began to dine once more, once again savoring the meal's taste. A good wine was used in making it, probably something from a village nearby. The dancer looked at her date and his calm didn't fade. She decided to try and restart the conversation.

"I must say, I didn't expect you to have such knowledge of cuisine."

He shrugged while stabbing a piece of beef. "I _am_ a Count. I was expected to have a more refined palate, and a great many meals were offered at the various parties I attended. Same goes for etiquette."

"That does make sense. I've had a lot of meals like this in my childhood, although with a different cuisine."

Dantès raised an eyebrow, but then nodded. "You were born into a rich family correct?"

"My father was well-off, and he could afford such a childhood for us." Mata Hari cut a piece of beef with her knife. "What was being a Count like?"

Something dark flashed in the Avenger's eyes for a moment, and she feared she might have asked a wrong question, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

"…it had its upsides. The comforts wealth can provide you are nothing to scoff at, especially with the fortune I had amassed."

She let out a silent breath and went back to her stew. They resumed their meal in silence, not knowing what else to say, and occasionally helped themselves to seconds. The tranquil mood that surrounded them remained throughout the meal, the night further accentuating the calmness. It was towards the end of the meal that Mata Hari decided she was finally going to bring up the issue that had started this whole scenario.

"Dantès?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

The Count knew what she meant: 'can I ask you a question and will you not ignore it?'

…he should have expected this.

"Ask."

"Why are you avoiding Harry?"

"…I'm not avoiding him."

The beautiful Assassin gave him a skeptical glance. "He always says that he barely sees you, and he usually needs Serenity or another Servant to find you. Whenever you don't join us for meals, he gets upset, although he barely shows it since me and others are with him. Why? You know how much he looks up to you. Why are you so persistent in avoiding your own son?"

Dantès crossed his arms and looked slightly to the side. "…it's not him."

"The other Servants then? It doesn't change what I'm asking."

The Avenger sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Who and what I am should give you enough of an answer as to why."

Mata Hari looked at him strangely, before the look changed to a hurt one.

"You mean your story?" she leaned forward on the table. "Dantès, I know what it's like to be betrayed. I know what it can do to a person's trust. I was _executed_ after my country used me as a scapegoat. You got your revenge. But isolating yourself is not going to help, it's going to make it worse. I'm afraid that…that you'll end up hurting Harry at some point."

Dantès tried to argue, but she kept talking. "I know, you'll never hurt him intentionally. But your pushing him away will be an even bigger blow to him than any wound he has or will have, and not just him; I want to get to know you better as well, not just because we're Harry's parents, but because I want to understand you better as a person. Not the legend of the King of the Cavern, not the figure of vengeance you portray yourself as, but Edmond Dantès."

"I _am_ the 'figure of vengeance'! The King of the Cavern, the Count of Monte Cristo, they are all who I am!"

"But they are all Edmond Dantès! They are not replacements for what you are!" the dancer shook her and looked at him with desperation. "This is exactly what I'm talking about! You're going to push everyone away if you keep this, not just me or Harry! It's like you're putting yourself back into that prison you hated so much, except this time, it's one of your own making! You're going to cause a…a cycle of self-isolation. And when you have no-one to talk to, no-one to be with…the pit you'll find yourself in…I've seen what it can to do men. What it turns them into. Please Dantès," her gaze turned imploring. "I don't want that to happen to you."

Dantès widened his eyes at her words and tried to speak, but no words came out. He swallowed and bit his lip, his shoulders lowering ever-so slightly. "…what would you have me do?"

"I want you to try. Try spending more time with Harry and other Servants. Talk to them, find out common interests, join in a conversation, and I promise you, you'll grow to like it. If your son asks you to be with him, don't run away."

The Count looked up and met the dancer's pleading gaze. They stayed like this for a few seconds, before he sighed and let an arm fall to his side.

"I…I will try."

"Swear it."

"…I swear on my title as the King of the Cavern that I will try."

Mata Hari smiled in satisfaction. "Thank you, Dantès. You don't know how much this means to me." He nodded. Looking at his and his date's plates, he saw they were empty.

"…do you want more of the _Daube_?" She looked at her plate and shook her head.

"No, I think I'm done for tonight." He nodded again, feeling the same. He closed his eyes and activated the communication system.

" _Doctor, Da Vinci, can you hear me?"_

A burst of static sounded in his ear and Roman's voice followed. _"We hear you loud and clear Dantès. What is it?"_

" _We are both ready to leave."_

" _Really? How was the date?"_

"… _it was fine."_

" _Not a waste of time then?"_

The Count growled through the comms. _"Don't push yourself."_

" _Heh-heh, just kidding. Ok, we'll get the system up and running in a minute, so sit tight. You can leave the plates and campfire here; we'll take care of it."_

He nodded before he saw Mata Hari get up and walk towards the edge of the clearing where the view lay. She turned around and motioned for him to join her with a smile.

"… _actually, can you hold that for a minute?"_

" _Why? Something wrong?"_

" _No, just a little something."_ He disconnected the comms and went to her side. He wanted to ask what did she want, but she just kept smiling and stared at the valley laid out before them. They both stared at the moonlight view for a few minutes, allowing the distant scent of the sea to drift over them.

"Did you enjoy this date?"

"…I didn't find anything wrong with it."

She giggled at his response, before looking at him from the corner of her eye. "If I were to ask..." a small blush appeared on her cheeks. "Would you be willing to come here again, just the two of us?"

Dantès said nothing at first, taking in the view once more. He had to admit, the location was very peaceful; the mountains, the grass, the smell and sight of the sea…he wished he could have been here when he was alive. Also, tonight had proven Mata Hari was good company, at least.

"I wouldn't…object."

The dancer's smile widened with joy and she hooked her arm through his. At his questioning look, she responded with: "A noble gentleman is supposed to escort a lady home, no?"

It might have been her imagination, but Mata Hari swore she saw a flash of a warm smile on the Count's face.

"Of course. Do hold tight, _mademoiselle._ " He activated the comms again. _"Doctor, we're ready."_

" _Okay, beginning retrieval in three…two…one…"_

One flashing white-and-blue vortex later, they found themselves climbing out of the Coffins back in Chaldea. Dantès watched as Da Vinci rushed over to Mata Hari and the two chatted briefly, marked by the occasional giggle. She saw him staring and gave him a thumbs-up, much to his annoyance. He heard the dancer thank the inventor, who responded with a wave of her hand and leaving. He was about to do the same when he heard her call to him.

"What is it?"

"I want us to say good night to Harry. He should be in bed by now."

"…very well."

She hooked her arm with his again, to which he responded with a roll of his yellow eyes and she giggled. The two walked out of the chamber and through the halls until they reached the door to Harry's room, where Atalanta stood watch. She saw the two coming and turned to face them.

"Atalanta, good to see you!"

The huntress smiled at the dancer. "Likewise, Mata Hari" she turned to Dantès and gave him a curt nod. "You too, Count Dantès." He responded with a hum of acknowledgment.

"How was the evening? I hope Harry was fine with you."

"The little kitten was adorable; he and Jackie loved hearing my stories. We played with those toys Da Vinci made, and he always found an excuse to hug me. I hope you'll let me play with him more."

"Of course! You don't need my permission to play with him. How is he?"

Atalanta turned and opened the door to reveal Harry's room with the lights off. The three entered and saw him sleeping on the bed, the covers hiding all but his little face.

"He wanted to wait for you to come" the Archer whispered. "But he tired himself out so I brought him here."

Mata Hari smiled at the sight of her sleeping little child and bent forward to press a kiss on his cheek. "Good night, my _schatje._ "

Harry's lips curved into a smile as he snuggled into the pillow. She looked at Dantès and gestured him to do the same. His fingers twitched, not sure as how to follow, before he simply settled on bringing his hand up and gently ruffling his son's black hair, the child leaning into the touch. He didn't pull away.

"Good night."

Mata Hari nearly shed a tear at the sight.

' _Don't worry, my Harry. Mommy and Daddy are here. We'll always be here with you_ …'

* * *

**Ta-da! What's up! This is something I have been wanting to write since the first chapter, and now felt like the best time! Just to be clear, they went out on a date as friends, I'm going to have a little fun regarding their relationship. I'm so happy with all the reviews and attention you've given me, it warms my heart as an author that so many people appreciate this story.**

**Shout out to 38Solaire, Jostanos (who helps me with some of the writing) and Helioson for reviewing every chapter! You guys are legends! Hope the rest follow your example! Another shout out to Arawn D. Draven, a long time author who helped with writing this chapter and whom I consider a mentor.**

_**Schatje** _ **means "little treasure" in Dutch, Mata Hari's nickname for Harry. The dishes are all real regional dishes, I unfortunately haven't had the pleasure of trying them.**

**As always, feel free to give out suggestions to future scenarios in reviews or PMs, and go check out my Spacebattles and Fanfiction.Net account for the story!**

**I hope a TVTropes page or fanart will pop up one day, but a guy can dream.**

**If you liked this story, go check out my profile for my other stories and challenges!**

**Read and Review!**


	7. It's a Date! Rerun Lite Version

**Hi! How are you all doing? Ready for another one? As usual, I own nothing...**

**I hope you all enjoy and constructive criticism is welcome!**

* * *

**It's a Date! Rerun Lite Version**

"There…that's it…and…done!"

We carefully placed the block on the structure we built and took a step back. We had a castle! Mama Kitty (we call her that) clapped in delight.

"That's wonderful Jackie! Look how detailed it is!"

We nodded in satisfaction as we looked at what we built. We wanted to make the Tower of London, like the one we saw when we returned there, so we took a lot of the playing bricks Da Vinci made and made one ourselves. It looked very good! We worked on it all afternoon, and Mama Kitty offered to help us.

"Thank you, Mama Kitty! We wanted to build something from London" we said, leaning on her body as she hugged us. We even heard a purring sound coming from her chest. We liked Mama Kitty. Once she was summoned and saw me, Harry and the other children, she hugged us all and didn't stop saying how cute we all were. Harry liked the hugs, and so did we. She spent most of her time with us or with one of our friends, and we all liked her.

"Maybe you can show this to Harry? He always likes seeing what you do."

We opened our mouth to reply, but something popped in our mind.

"Mama Kitty? Where's Harry?" We didn't see him at all today. We were playing with Ana and Alice and trying to build our castle all day, so we didn't get a chance to be with him.

"Hmm…I think he's spending time with his Mommy and Daddy; they both took him out somewhere."

Really? His mommy _and_ his daddy? That sounded like lots of fun! We know how his daddy likes to hide from him sometimes, so knowing that he was with him made us happy. Yes, we were sad we couldn't spend more time with him today, but we have lots of friends, and there was always tomorrow. And being with your mommy and daddy is important.

Wait…

"Mama Kitty? A few days ago, Mommy Hari left Harry and us with you, right?"

Mama Kitty stopped playing with our hair and adjusted us in her grip. "Oh, Miss Hari wanted to spend some time alone with Mister Dantès."

"Why?"

"She…wanted to help him, get him to spend more time with Harry. Also, she wanted to get to know him better."

"Ah" We rubbed our head on Mama Kitty's stomach, letting her purring soothe us. "What is a 'date'?"

Mama Kitty suddenly stopped purring as she made a weird choking noise. We looked up and saw a very weird look on her face like she swallowed something sour.

"Jackie…where did you hear that word?"

"When Mommy Hari talked to you a few days ago, she said that she and Mister Dantès were going out on a 'date'. What is it?"

Her face started to turn red as she looked to the side. She opened her mouth a few times to talk, but she always closed it back again, although we heard her mumbling something. "Mama Kitty, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

She turned to look at us again before shaking her head. "N-no Jackie, I'm fine, thank you for asking. It's just that…well, a date is not something you should concern yourself with."

"Why?"

"Y-you're too young to…" she sighed and lowered her shoulders. "…I'm not the best person to ask this, far from it."

"What do you mean?" Mama Kitty kept looking at us before sighing again and picking us up.

"Let's go and see Miss Da Vinci, alright?" she asked us with a smile. "She'll tell you all about it, and maybe you can even ask for a new toy!"

We smile at her and hug her neck. A new toy! Miss Da Vinci made the coolest toys ever! They can fly, drive, and one time she even made one that can dance! Harry loved it too, and he invited all of the children to play with it. We love it when she gives us new toys.

We leave the room, hanging on to Mama Kitty as she carries us through the hallways. A few minutes later, we arrive in front of a door that had funny sounds coming from behind it, like bubbles or one of the toys we have. Mama Kitty knocked on the door and a "come in!" responded, the door opening at the call. We enter a very bright room, filled with all sorts of strange machines and liquids in glass bottles. A large table was at the center of the room, and Miss Da Vinci was sitting behind it, fiddling with another strange machine. It didn't look like a new toy, but it did look interesting. What was it?

Miss Da Vinci looked up and smiled at us. "Hello there, Atalanta and Jackie! What brings you here?"

Mama Kitty's tail twitches and she steps closer to Da Vinci's table. "I'm sorry for bothering you like this, but Jackie has something to ask you."

Miss Da Vinci laughs and waves her hand in acceptance. "Don't worry, I always have time for the children!" She looks at us with a kind smile. "Now, what is it you want to ask me Jackie?"

"What is a 'date'?"

The inventor blinked for a moment before her eyes widened in what we knew was shock and surprise. Her hand went up to cover her mouth and she mumbled something we couldn't hear. She looked at Mama Kitty who just sighed. "As you can see, I thought this would require someone with a more…knowledgeable touch."

Da Vinci nodded before tapping her chin. "I see, I see. Why don't you step outside for a moment, Atalanta? I'll make sure to explain this to Jackie, ok?"

Mama Kitty nodded and set us down on the floor. "You see Jackie? Miss Da Vinci knows far more about this than I do. Be a good girl and listen to her, alright?"

"Okay, Mama Kitty. Thank you." We gave her a hug and she left the room. We turned to look at Miss Da Vinci, who had pulled up a stool and patted it. We jumped up and sat on it, waiting for her to answer.

"…let me guess, you heard that word from Mata Hari, didn't you?"

"Mm-hm." She rubbed her chin again in thought.

"How to put it…a date is a meeting between two people, usually who are opposite genders, like a boy or a girl, where they try and get to know each other better."

"We play with Harry and the other boys all the time. Is that a date?"

Da Vinci gave us a funny look, with her eye twitching before shaking her head. "No Jackie, a date is just between one boy and one girl who like each other, it's a very personal thing, and while they sometimes can play, it's mostly to get to know each other better."

"Oh. What do you do on a date?"

"Well, it depends on the two people, but they usually take a stroll, go and watch a movie, maybe a festival…it's all very different."

So a date was like a more personal playtime, but with less playing? That sounded nice…and it made sense in a way. Adults don't play as we do.

"Did you ever go on a date Miss Da Vinci?"

The inventor blushed before shaking her head furiously. "Nononono…I'm way too busy for that sort of thing and…" she looked down a bit, her blush somewhat receding. "I haven't found anyone that I would enjoy going on a date with."

She looks back at us again. "Oh, remember this Jackie" she says with a firmer tone while raising a finger. "If you go on a date, you can only do it with one other person. It's very insulting to date multiple people at once because like I told you, dating is a very personal thing."

We nodded and hummed in thought. So 'dating' is something adults do to know each other better, and they only do it with someone they like. We sensed Da Vinci wasn't telling us something, but knowing her, she wouldn't hide anything from us if she knew it would hurt us. If we were honest, our curiosity was less than it was before about this whole thing…

Then we remembered something. Yesterday, Harry's mommy came to pick him up with his daddy. Harry looked so happy at seeing them together, and even Mister Dantès didn't look so cold, and when he patted Harry's hair, Mommy Hari looked like she was glowing because of her smile. For a moment we were jealous, but we knew how Harry loved being with his mommy and daddy, with us coming a close second. We didn't blame him; we understood.

But…ever since London, we saw there was something wrong with him. His nightmares came back, but they were different. He went out farming less, and it's only thanks to Dr. Roman and Miss Da Vinci's new method for Rayshifting that the Servants we able to farm. He sometimes looked at shadows and tried to make himself smaller, like some monster was going to come out and attack him.

Just like after Fuyuki, but different.

We didn't know if his mommy or daddy knew, but he is our Harry. We want to help him. So, maybe…

"Miss Da Vinci? Could you help us go on a 'date' with Harry?"

Da Vinci, who was holding a cup of coffee in her hand, nearly dropped it. Her eyes widened in shock and began stammering.

"Um-Ah-Er…could you repeat that please?"

Did she not hear us? "Could you help us go on a 'date' with Harry?"

"…why?"

"You said that people go on dates to get to know each other better, right?" she nodded. "Well, we think there's something bothering Harry. He's been acting like after our first Singularity. We think it's-"

"London?" Miss Da Vinci asked. We nodded and she rubbed her forehead, sighing a little. "…you're more perceptive than I am, Jackie. Although considering what happened there, I shouldn't be surprised. I just thought he talked about it with his mother…"

She looked at us with exasperation (why?) and opened her mouth to speak and froze. She remained still for a few seconds before her mouth morphed into a grin, and for a moment there…we swore we saw horns on the top of her head.

"Alright Jackie" she reached over and patted us on the head. "I can help you. But first, you need to do _exactly_ as I say…"

* * *

"WHHAAAAT!?"

Gil cringed at the volume of the shriek, and at the incredulous stares the other children gave him. Even Ana, with her quiet demeanor, was taken back by surprise.

"What do you mean, 'Jackie is taking Harry out on a date'!?" asked Chloe, shaking him by the shirt. Her twin Ilya was stammering up a storm as her face took on a very tomato-ish color. "Where did you even hear this!?"

"M-m-miss Da Vinci told me!" the blond boy grabbed her arms. "She asked if she could borrow a few things from my Gate, and that's what she told me when I asked why!"

"Borrow? Borrow what?" asked Alexander.

"A couple of potions. Nothing too strange; just animating potions and paint-changing potions, among other things."

"Couldn't she make those kinds of potions herself?"

"No" replied Ana. "She may be a Caster, but she's no mage. That being said, I'm sure she can make _something_ that replaces those, she's a genius."

"Huh…you're right" Gil scratched his head. "If she could've done that, why did she ask me?"

"Hmm…" Chloe rubbed her chin before she shook her head. "That doesn't matter! What _does_ matter is the fact that Jackie is asking our cute little Master out! Though knowing how close she is with him, I shouldn't be surprised…"

"She's bold…"

Chloe nodded in agreement and tapped her chin, a glint in her eye forming that made Alex mentally brace himself. That glint _never_ boded well…

"Well, there's only one thing left to do now, isn't there? As their friends, we should go and make sure nothing bad happens to ruin this moment for them!"

"What, you mean spy on them?" asked the red-haired youth.

"No, no!" Chloe waved. "Just make sure that the older Servants or anyone else don't do something stupid, and of course observing them to see how it goes!"

"…you mean spying on them" muttered Ana. Chloe shot a glare at the other girl and walked to her.

"Come on Ana. You like making our dear little Master happy. He would be so upset if something happened on his date with Jackie and…" she bent low near her ear, her voice dropping.

"…you can learn for your turn."

The purple-haired child's eyes widened and she made to speak, only for the Einzbern to continue. "I know you've been drawing those cute scenes in your notebook. Wouldn't you want to make them a reality? You and Harry, playing in the sunny fields, making you a crown of flowers, you leaning on him as you both lie on the meadow under the summer sun…"

A blush formed and intensified on Ana's face with every word as she looked down. The images started to form vividly in her head, a fantasy she had developed ever since meeting Harry.

"…fine. Only for research."

The tanned Archer nodded, stood up and clapped. "Then let's do this! Let's help Harry and Jackie have their best first date ever!"

The other children made to protest for a myriad of reasons but said reasons were forgotten by the determined (and challenging) look on Chloe's face. When she had _that_ face on, there was no stopping her.

"Umm…one question" the children turned to look at Alice, who had raised her hand with a curious look on her face. "What's a…date?"

All the children sans Chloe froze at the question. How do they explain something like that to such an innocent soul like Alice? "Uhhh…"

"Don't worry Alice!" cut in Chloe, approaching her with a grin. "Your onee-san will tell you everything you need to know!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Gil shouted, hoping to spare Alice of whatever the 'evil' twin had planned. Chloe turned to him. "How do _you_ know what a date is!?"

A smirk appeared on her lips as she held up a finger to them. "Hee-hee. That's for me to know, and for you to find out!"

The blond turned to her twin for an explanation, but she looked at him morosely. "Don't ask, please don't ask."

Gil sighed and tuned out whatever Chloe was spewing to the silver-haired Caster. He knew enough not to try and butt in. He and Alex shared a knowing look and a nod. _'At least let's make sure that_ _ **Chloe**_ _is the one who doesn't do anything stupid.'_

' _Say no more brother, say no more.'_

* * *

Harry was standing in front of the Simulation Room, excitement and curiosity in his eyes. It had been an interesting, if not an unusual day so far. It started off when Jackie asked to spend some time with him alone, and when he accepted – much to her joy – she told him to be here at a specific time. That was normal; Jackie always found ways to spend time with him. What did seem odd was a word she said before she left.

" _It's a date then!"_

He never heard that word before: 'date.' Why did she say that? As he had grown accustomed to, he went and asked his mother what it meant. She looked at him with surprise and asked him where did he hear that word. He told her, and she looked at him bewilderedly before she rubbed her temple with a sigh and told him to stay put while she checked on something. Harry was confused, but he would never disobey his mother. So, he stayed in the room, his legs swinging off the bed, and a few minutes later, his mother came back with a beaming expression. While he was always happy to see his mother happy, his confusion grew when she handed him different outfits to wear, saying that needed to look good for his 'date' with Jackie. He asked her again, what was a 'date', and this was what she said:

" _Basically, it's a way of spending time with a girl you really like. It isn't like your normal playtime though; you need to look good for this. Now, could you put this on? I want to see how it looks on you."_

The young Master's confusion didn't abate, but he nonetheless relented to his mother's instruction. In the end, after trying on several outfits, she decided that his regular Chaldea uniform would look best on him. Then she gave him a hug and kiss, told him to have fun, and left, but not before telling him to wash his hair before his 'date'.

That was just the start. He still had some time, so he went to the cafeteria to get some food, where he met Miss Tamamo. The foxy Servant greeted him with a hug, like always, and they talked for a bit while he munched on a cookie. He was about to ask for another one when a strange smile appeared on her face and she asked him what was he doing today. He told her about Jackie, and for some reason, she covered her mouth with her sleeve, and he could have sworn that she was giggling. He asked her what was wrong, but she just waved it off and told him to have fun on his 'date'. (She giggled every time she said that word.)

This trend repeated with the other female Servants he met. He would meet them, mention his 'date', and they would all giggle mysteriously and tell him to have fun, a few even brushing his shoulders or trying to flatten his hair. He wanted to ask his daddy, but he didn't see him today. Nor any of the other male Servants. Or the other children. Strange.

Regardless, the time came and he was now waiting for Jackie to arrive. He was waiting for a couple of minutes, idly looking at the doors to the Simulation Room when a small pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Hi Harry. Did we make you wait?" asked a soft, familiar voice. The raven-haired Master grinned; she was here!

"No, I just got here." He wiggled a bit and Jackie removed her hands from his eyes, only to place them on his shoulders and turn him around. What he saw made his cheeks flush; she wore a dress, not unlike her favorite white one – but this time it was long-sleeved, with the shoulder straps, bow-tie, and the skirt colored black, a bit like Alice's dress. A black cap with a white rose lay on her silver hair.

She twirled around, holding onto her cap. "What do you think? Miss Nero made it for us."

"You look really pretty!"

Jackie ducked her head as a small blush appeared on her cheeks. "R-really?"

Harry grew worried. Did he say something wrong? "U-um, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"N-no, it's fine, thank you" The blush fainter, Jackie raised her head again. Harry then noticed that a small picnic basket was next to Jackie's feet.

The child Assassin noticed the look. "Oh, Miss Da Vinci gave this to us so we could eat later. She also told us that we could use the Simulation Room."

"What's inside?"

"We don't know, but Mister Emiya made it, so it's good."

Harry nodded and Jackie stepped past him and pressed the "OPEN" button. The doors slid open with a hiss and the two children stepped inside the stark-white chamber. The door closed behind them and Da Vinci's voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Okay children, I hope you have fun! I made this little scene here just for you!"

The room a bright light filled the room, forcing the two to avert their eyes. A few seconds later, the glow dimmed and their eyes widened in awe at the sight: a pastoral meadow stretched out as far as the eye could see, with a bright summer sky overhead and hills dotted with trees. A few dozen meters in front of them was a gigantic and magnificent carousel, decorated with arts and motifs that wouldn't have been out of place in the Louvre. The top seemed to look like polished marble, with fairy-lights decorating the tip and rim. On the inside, two rings of beautiful wooden pegasi stood, all carved with such precision that it seemed like they were going to come to life. But unlike a regular carousel, the horses were not attached to poles – in fact, there were no poles at all!

The two children smiled with joy at the sight and ran laughing to the ride. When they arrived at the stairs leading to the platform, Jackie set down the picnic basket on the grass and jumped on one of the wooden pegasi. Settling herself in, she looked to Harry and gestured him to join her. Harry responded by letting out a happy giggle and climbing on a pegasus to her left.

**(Play Disneyland's King Arthur's Carousel Music or Merry-go-round Broke Down)**

The children looked around the carousel, taking in the drawings that were no doubt Da Vinci's, when the ride hummed and started to turn. They held on to the pegasi's necks but to their surprise – the pegasi shook their wooden necks and started galloping by themselves! They _had_ come to life!

The two children laughed with pure joy as the constructs dashed on the spinning platform, neighing and galloping all the way. They watched as the meadow rippled in the wind, while looking at the swaying motion of the pegasi's dashing (for while the carousel spun one way, the pegasi dashed in the opposite direction but faster, so for them it seemed like they were slowly turning in the pegasi's direction). Jackie looked at Harry and her heart warmed at his laughter. She loved seeing him so happy, acting like a child should – and he was with her. Nothing could make her happier.

The pegasi had reached halfway around the carousel when Jackie noticed something: if she tapped on one side of the construct's neck, it would slightly veer in that direction. Her smile grew as an idea popped in her head. She looked at Harry's pegasus for a moment before tapping her own pegasus on the left of its neck several times. The construct edged closer to Harry, and when the two constructs were practically touching each other, she leaped from her seat and plopped down behind Harry, hugging his waist. The young Master let out a yelp of surprise, only to pout when he saw Jackie stick her tongue out playfully. The wraith-child tightened her grip and snuggled into his back, a content and peaceful smile on her scarred face. Harry wanted to hug her back, but for now, he settled on hugging the pegasi's neck.

A few minutes later, the pegasi slowed down as they approached the initial starting point. Jackie lifted her head from Harry's back and lightened her grip until the ride came to a full stop. With matching smiles, the two hopped down from the horses.

"That was really fun!" exclaimed Jackie.

"Yeah! Wanna go again?" asked Harry. Jackie was about to reply when Harry's stomach let out a low growl. He looked down blushing, but Jackie just giggled.

"Let's eat first, OK?" She gestured to the picnic basket. The two moved away from the carousel and sat down on the grass under a lone tree. They lifted the cover off the basket to reveal several delicious-looking sandwiches. With nary a word spoken, they happily munched on the snacks, leaning on the tree trunk. After they had each eaten one, Jackie decided to speak up.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"We…" the wraith-child bit her lip. "…are you alright?"

The young Master tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"We…we noticed that you've been acting strange lately. You're acting like when we first met. When we sleep together, we sometimes see your dreams."

Harry ever-so-slightly flinched and looked down. His small frame hunched over and he began fiddling with his index finger. Jackie frowned and reached over to gently clasp his hands together.

"Harry, it's okay; we are here for you, you are our friend. We want to help you."

Harry slowly raised his head and the scared look in his green eyes made Jackie let out a cry inside. She placed one of her arms on his shoulder and gently pushed him against her petite body, his head buried in her shoulder.

"…is it London?"

The raven-haired child slowly encircled his arms around her, to which she responded in kind. She felt him shivering against her dress and tightened her hug.

"It's okay" she whispered. "We're here Harry, we're here."

"…it's just that…when I met the other you…she was so angry and scary I…" he sniffled. "A-and then wh-when that man appeared, he laughed at me with th-that evil _smile…_ "

She raised an arm and started to stroke his hair. "We know Harry, we saw through your eyes. Why didn't you tell Mommy Hari or your daddy?"

"I did!" he let out a sob. "Mommy helped me; she always helps me. But I still…"

"It's alright, our Harry. The other 'us' in London…it wasn't really _us._ We would never try and hurt you, never. We promised time and time again to always protect you, and we will never break that promise. We will always be here for you. We have our mommies and our friends, and we have you. We won't let _anything_ take that away."

Another sniffle. "Th-thank you Jackie. Thank you so much…"

Jackie softly smiled as she held him, letting him relax in her arms. They remained like that for a few minutes before he detached from her, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"…do you wanna go on the ride again?"

They went on several more rounds, each time they sat in a different pegasus or position on the carousel; there was a time Harry somehow managed to get his pegasus to open up its wings and he walked on it to Jackie's! With every round, the wraith-child saw that Harry's sadness was disappearing as his laughter replaced it. That was good; when Harry was happy, she was happy.

Eventually, like all things, Harry started to get tired, so after their final round, where they played a game of "I Spy" (the number of games Da Vinci taught them was astonishing), they walked back to the exit, where the silver doors lay. A flash of white light later, and the room return to its normal hospital-white hue.

Before she opened the door, Jackie turned to look at Harry. "Thank you, Harry. We really had fun today."

"I had fun too Jackie. Maybe we can ask Da Vinci to do it again."

Jackie's eyes brightened. "We'd love that. Maybe we can ask her to make us a different ride!"

"Like a…what did she call it? Spinning teacup?"

"Yeah! Or maybe an amusement park! Where we and the other children can play all day!"

Harry giggled enthusiastically. "That sounds like a lot of fun." He grabbed her in another hug. Jackie just smiled, replying with her own before she decided to try something. She pulled back, cupped his cheeks…

…and rubbed her nose with his.

Harry's eyes widened as a small blush bloomed on his cheeks, with Jackie doing the same her eyes looking down in embarrassment.

"…that felt nice."

"…wanna do it again?"

"…okay."

She lifted her head and leaned in…

…only for the doors to suddenly open, revealing the entire Chaldean Kiddie group, with Da Vinci, Mata Hari and Atalanta standing behind them, all grinning with mischief. Before they had time to react, they were pulled into the group by the arms, laughing and hugging them all the while.

"Ooh, look at that Ana! You're going to have to move up your game for your turn!"

"…nice one."

"Harry my brother, I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah, way to go brother! Didn't expect it to be this quick!"

"Chloe, what are they doing? Are they hugging?"

"…w-we really shouldn't be here…they might want privacy…"

"Way to go Jackie! You did better than what I taught you!"

"My beloved _schatje_ is becoming a man! I can't wait to tell your daddy!"

"…so shameless…lucky it's my Master and not some other man…maybe I can coach him not to give in to any urges…"

While the two children would end up sporting atomic blushes at the end of the day, they were nonetheless happy. They had their friends, their family, each other, what more could they want?

If only the state of the world would reflect their happiness…if only it would…

* * *

**Hi! What's up and how do you do? Yeah new chapter, so soon, what can I say? When the muse sings, it yodels. This chapter was a suggestion from Quantum01 of Spacebattles and it stuck in my head so...here it is! I'm avoiding any squicky situations (they're children after all) while trying to let them emulate what a date is...not that I would know...**

**This chapter also addresses some of the trauma Harry goes through in the Singularities, and London is a particularly traumatizing one, considering the other Jackie and the Grand Caster + Lev/Flauros.**

**As always, feel free to suggest ideas for future chapters.**

**If you like this story, go check out my other stories and the challenges on my profile. Go to Spacebattles (there's a poll there) and Fanfiction.net for this story (and more reviews! I need them! NEED! It helps me grow as a writer!)**

**Read and Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! I'm sorry it took so long, a combination of real life and the discovery of Talisman Online + DCFandome + FGO SummerFes struck.**

**As usual, there's more info below, so until then, on with the chapter!**

**I own nothing here but the story.**

* * *

**A Petty Squabble (or not)**

As stated before, with the sheer variety of Servants in the halls of Chaldea, it would be natural for cliques and groups to form. It would happen in a myriad of ways, from spontaneous moments to gradual interaction, with the various legends and figures finding common interests and the like, and thus slowly but surely bonding together. Legends they may be, they are still human (mostly).

However, _because_ they are human (mostly), it shouldn't come as a surprise that the opposite may occur and that a pair or a group of Servants would find themselves at odds and ends of one another. Add to the fact that the majority of the Servants could sometimes be considered "battle-maniacs", fighting was inevitable. Fortunately, nothing too drastic ever occurred, out of consideration for the mission and the little Master they all served under, and so any antagonism Servants possessed was toned down…emphasis on "toned down".

Case in point…

Artoria Alter walked through the halls of Chaldea aimlessly in her black skirt, a calm expression on her pale face.

" _Hmm…my child gave me quite a challenge back there…but she should know by now that she could never hope to best me in combat. Still, the match was refreshing."_

The Saber was about to walk past a corridor but stopped herself. A faint aroma wafted from down the hall, one that made her nose tingle.

" _Oh? How could I have missed this? Well, no matter. My little spar with Mordred is making me feel rather peckish…"_

She fully turned and power-walked down the hall, her yellow eyes focused on the new objective in her mind. Nothing and no-one would get in her way, lest they risk the wrath of a dragon.

Soon enough, she found herself in the cafeteria, staring at Servants and staff all chatting while holding or eating what she regarded as the Holy Grail of food: juicy, mouthwatering hamburgers.

For a moment, Altoria felt like she was going to snap and swipe the nearest one, but she quickly composed herself. A ruler must be composed at all times, whether it be in combat or a more casual setting. So, she took a deep breath and stood in line, crossing her arms and waited in as much patience she could muster.

" _A good thing that I had that spar with Mordred, I suppose."_

After a few minutes of agonizing waiting, she stood in front of the serving booth, where a happy red-haired woman smiled at her.

"Let me guess, you want the hamburger?" asked Boudica, Rider-class Servant. The pale Saber replied with a simple raised eyebrow.

"Hee, I had a guess. Emiya! Three large burgers with everything please!"

Ever since the Chef Brigade of Chaldea (namely Tamamo, Emiya and Boudica) claimed the kitchen as their territory, the Security Organization was treated to brands of food so delicious and divine that they made anything else taste like ash. Requests were often sent, and while the trio were the absolute rulers of their small domain of the kitchen, they made sure to consider every request sent. No two meals each day were identical, and with the sheer variety of requests, it wouldn't be surprising to find that hamburgers were some of the more requested dishes.

A sliding sound was heard and Boudica handed her a tray with three large, juicy bacon cheeseburgers on a plate, with a side of shining, crispy French fries and various dips (naturally). With a curt nod, the Dark King of Britain picked up the tray and walked to a relatively empty table, where only one man sat.

She sat down and Leonidas sent her a small nod of acknowledgment before returning to his own dish. With no further ado, she set about devouring the feast in front of her. A raging yet serene hurricane raged as the burgers were devoured. Altoria never once took her focus off the meal, her expression never changing as she scarfed down her food. Not even a minute later, and the tray was laid bare, only a few crumbs remaining from the feast.

As the pale king gently cleaned the corners of her mouth with a napkin, she felt that there was something missing from her meal, but what? There were the burgers (any less and they would've counted as appetizers), the fries – fried to perfection, as usual, so what could be…?

Of course! Dessert! _"I wonder what it will be this time. While the fruit salads are nice, I feel like they are a little too…thin."_

Altoria was about to get up when she spotted Leonidas eating a small cup filled with white ice-cream.

"Spartan, where did you get the ice cream?" He wordlessly gestured to a small freezing container standing next to the service bar. Without so much as a thank you, Altoria made her way to the container, silently eager for some frozen treats to finish off her meal, but when she slid open the hatch…

The freezer was stark-white! There was no ice cream!

The Saber slammed the hatch shut and stomped to the serving bar, where Emiya stood cleaning a pot. Her footsteps caught his attention, and he sighed for the incoming headache.

"Archer, where is the ice-cream?"

"We're all out."

Altoria's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, you're all out?"

"There isn't anymore ice-cream; it was so popular that everyone grabbed everything they could, and we don't have enough mix left to make more."

The Dark King squeezed her fist as she took a deep breath. No, as much as she wanted to find someone and tear ice-cream from their hands, it wouldn't help her.

"Who took more than one cup?"

The tanned Servant raised an incredulous eyebrow at her question. How did she expect him to know exactly who took how many cups?

Altoria sharply turned her head and let her gaze sweep over the cafeteria, searching for any stray cups that she could take. The gorgons? No, all gone. The inventors? Same. The Hassans? More than most groups, but with Hundred-Face among them, it wasn't surprising-

Wait.

' _Was that Master? With two cups of ice-cream?'_

Yes, it was hard to miss that messy black hair on such a small body. She caught sight of him just as he exited the cafeteria and out a hallway.

Perfect.

Wordlessly, Altoria started advancing in her little Master's direction. Yes, that will have to do. She wouldn't steal it from him, just ask nicely. _'It is obvious he will not say no to me, considering I'm one of his favorite Servants. Perhaps I shall indulge him by asking to eat it together with him.'_

Emiya watched the Saber go and sighed while shaking his head. He saw who she was after, and could only hope that nothing too drastic would happen. If he had looked up sooner, he would've seen another follow the same path.

' _Best of luck to you Master. At least in your case, they have more restraint…'_

* * *

After Altoria left the cafeteria, she slightly slowed her pace to avoid startling Harry, but fast enough to keep track of him. A minute or two later, she soon found him sitting on a bench, his little legs dangling off the edge and a happy look on his face. Her pace slowed to a slow walk and as she approached the child, he turned in her direction and his face lit up with a smile.

"Hi, Miss Altoria!"

She responded to him with a nod. "Hello there, Master. How are you today?"

"I'm okay! I just ate lunch!"

"Oh? Was it those hamburgers I saw?"

"Mmm-hmm! Auntie Boudica said that they made mine extra tasty, and they were really, really good!"

"I can certainly believe that. The ones I ate were very good as well. May I sit next to you?"

Harry nodded happily and Altoria sat down at his left, at which point he slightly leaned onto her. She didn't mind; if anything, it made her next step easier.

"What is it that you're holding, Harry?"

The child Master looked down at the cups. "Oh, it's ice-cream!"

"Really? I didn't see any in the lunchroom. What kind is it?"

"Um…Miss Tamamo said that they were "cookies and cream", I think."

Cookies and cream…a taste worthy of a king's dessert. "Harry, may I have one of your cups?"

The boy looked up at her and tilted his head in confusion. "Why? Didn't you eat some?"

A sigh escaped Altoria's lips. "Unfortunately, no. By the time I had arrived, there was no more ice-cream. I was very much looking forward to trying it."

Harry bit his lip and looked down at the cups, an obvious look of hesitation on his face. A flicker of a smirk appeared on Altoria's face. She felt a little bad for manipulating her Master like this, but it wasn't like she was depriving him of ice-cream; he still had a cup left to eat. All he needed was a little push and-

"Yo, Master!"

The pair's heads shot up in the direction of the call and the Dark King's yellow eyes met the black ones of Shiki Ryougi, who was walking towards them with a small yet eager smile.

The Saber's eyes narrowed. She wouldn't dare…

"Hello, Shiki!" Harry replied as he waved to her. The yakuza princess came and sat on the bench, effectively sandwiching the little boy in between her and Altoria.

"So…did you enjoy lunch today?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Hm, so did I. I also wanted to get some ice-cream but it was all gone by the time I finished so…care to do me a favor and share with me some of that ice-cream?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Assassin" remarked Altoria as she gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Master was about to give me his ice-cream, so unfortunately it looks like you're going to have to find someone else to poach from."

Shiki raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Oh, really? From what I heard over there he didn't decide anything yet, so don't go putting words into other people's mouths like your food."

"It is obvious that he is going to give it to me. After all, I am his bodyguard, his sworn protector. I always come with him for material farming and his parents consider me worthy of their trust by letting him be with me alone."

"Um…"

Shiki's smile grew to a challenging grin, and gently pulled Harry over to her. "That is where you're wrong. Unlike you, who simply stands there and fights when needed, I'm actually useful to him; I train him with knives, I help with his homework, and he even asks me to sleep with him when he's afraid."

"That is because you coddle him too much; that's his mother's job" Altoria shot back as she grabbed Harry's shoulder, trying to wrest him from Shiki. "I respect and acknowledge his strength and let him solve things on his own. I don't deny him when he asks me, but me 'standing there' as you put it, inspires him to be better."

"Um…"

"Keep putting words in people's mouths and they'll spit over you. As for 'coddling' him, I'm simply giving him the affection he craves; we all know about his sorry past. As a mother myself, I know how to properly raise a child. Did you know that Mata Hari asked once if I could take him in once this is all over, should something happen? Not that it will, but just in case. Naturally, I accepted, so what I'm doing, I'm doing from experience, unlike someone…"

It took all of Altoria's self-control to not snap and accidentally hurt Harry. That was a low blow.

The young Master just looked worriedly at the two servants, who at this point seemed to be shooting sparks from their eyes. They each had a grip on him, and he felt a little scared, despite knowing they wouldn't hurt him.

' _W-why are they fighting? I-is it because of the ice-cream? I don't like it…'_

"What exactly are you two doing?"

The cold voice of Edmond Dantès broke the proverbial stand-off and all eyes turned to see the Avenger standing in front of them, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"Now, if you know what's good for you, I suggest you let go of Harry."

The two women were reluctant at first, but a minor flare of the Count's aura quickly made them do so. There was a reason no-one messed with Harry's father in Chaldea, not even the foolhardier Servants.

The Count looked down and met his son's relieved state.

"Harry, for who was that second ice-cream?"

The young Master scratched his cheek. "Um…I wanted it to be for you daddy. Mommy said she didn't want any and Jackie already ate some so I thought that…"

Dantès shifted his gaze to the ice-cream, the female Servants, and Harry before sighing. "I…thank you for your thoughtfulness Harry, but I'm not particularly hungry for ice-cream." His son pouted in response.

"As for you two…" Dantès stepped closer and plucked the cup from Harry's little hands. "You are going to share this."

Altoria and Shiki blinked. Share?

"You are going to behave like adults and find a compromise, or I'm just going to give it back to Harry. Understood?"

Altoria bit back a response, seeing how a fight would only make Harry feel bad. The argument was stupid, but her pride demanded nothing less. Shiki did the same.

"Now apologize."

"…sorry."

"…apology accepted."

The Avenger nodded. "Good. Come Harry, I recall that Alexander wanted to see you for some reason." Harry nodded and hopped off the bench, clutching his ice-cream, and held his father's hand. "Bye Shiki, bye Miss Altoria, sorry for making you fight."

Shiki shook her head. "Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault."

Altoria nodded. "Keep your chin up Master, everything's fine."

A small smile grew on Harry's face as he and his father walked away. Soon enough, the two were left alone, the cup of ice-cream in between them.

"…do you have a spoon?"

Shiki pulled out two small, plastic spoons from her jacket. Altoria gingerly reached out and grabbed one. They looked down at the ice-cream. Thankfully, it only started melting. On a wordless cue, they began slowly eating.

How nice, a conflict resolved peacefully, and two Servants enjoying time together in Chaldea.

"…you took a bigger portion."

"Look who's talking."

…for the most part.

* * *

**Hi guys! So, this is an idea that came from a comic by reddit user Artrum, so I decided to roll with it and throw in my own changes. Shiki deserves more love, why aren't there any more fanfics about her?**

**What did you all think of the chapter?**

**On a bigger note... THIS STORY HAS A TVTROPES PAGE! It's rather incomplete, so I would appreciate it if any of you could update it with the proper tropes.**

**As usual, go check out this story in Spacebattles and Fanfiction.net to spread the word, and feel free to submit ideas and omakes!**

**Go check out my profile for more stories and challenges, listed on my bio!**

**See you next time and...**

**Read and Review!**


	9. Scéal Iascaire

**Hi Guys! Here with a brand new chapter! And it's a long one!**

**I do not own Harry Potter or Type-Moon.**

* * *

**Scéal Iascaire**

Boredom is an odd thing. A state where a person finds himself restless if there is nothing to do. To end boredom, a person may do many things, from simply playing with their fingers or counting spots on a wall, to unleashing pranks and mayhem across all who he sees, and anything in between.

In short, idle hands are the devil's workshop, as they say.

In Cú Chulainn's case though, it was an idle mind.

' _Ugh…why is today so dull?'_ thought the Irish spearman in distress. He was lounging around in the Chaldea Library, his legs dangling off the edge of a comfy sofa, and an open book on his chest.

' _I was this bored that I actually came here to read, and not even that is helping me. Drinking all day doesn't feel like a good way to pass time, my usual guys are nowhere to be found and no-one wants to spar – and it isn't even lunchtime yet!'_ he rubbed his eyes in frustration. _'Gah, I better find something to do before I become a scut for the rest of the week.'_

The blue-haired Lancer heaved himself up and got off the sofa, grabbing the book from his chest. _'Let's see…maybe one of those French books will help. Those French Servants sure love talking about them.'_

He walked past a few aisles, glancing at the signs until a faint noise got his attention. He peeked inside the aisle, and in the between the bookshelves (and right in front of the one he wanted) stood Charles-Henri Sanson.

"Yo, Sanson!" Cú called, waving. The executioner looked up from the book he was holding and nodded courteously in response.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Cu. What brings you here?"

The Irishman held up his book and walked towards him. "Just lookin' for something to read. You got anything to recommend?"

Sanson raised an eyebrow in surprise. " _Pardonez-moi,_ but I didn't take you for the…type to enjoy reading."

"Eh, I know. It's just that the boredom's really getting to me today. Besides, I wouldn't know Runecraft if I wasn't a little interested in 'scholarly activities'…no matter what Teacher says" he muttered.

Sanson hummed. "True, true. Well, do you have any particular preference when it comes to literature?"

Cú shrugged. "Not really, just no sappy romance novels."

"Mm-hm. Well, that could be difficult…" Sanson's icy-blue eyes wandered the titles in front of him until he plucked a book from his right and handed it to the Lancer. "Maybe you'll enjoy this one. At the very least, it fits your criteria."

Cú accepted the books and looked at them. "' _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'_?"

"Yes, it is a rather famous one; I hope that you will enjoy it. It was written after my time, but I am unashamed to say that I have grown fond of it."

"Thanks, I'll take your word for it."

"…would you mind joining me? I would not mind some company while reading."

Cú tilted his head at the request but shrugged in acceptance after. "Sure. Don't see the harm in it."

Sanson turned and exited the aisle, the blue-clad Lancer following him. They reached a pair of velvet armchairs and proceeded to each sit down in one. After getting himself comfortable, Cú opened up one of the books.

' _Okay, let's see what we have here. "The year 1866 was signified by a remarkable incident, a mysterious yet inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no-one has yet forgotten." Well, this is a nice start; the hero isn't shown at the beginning…'_

Time passed as the Hound of Chulainn read more and more of the novel. Sanson was right, this was a very interesting story. While some of the scientific terms flew over his head, the conversations between the characters and especially the descriptions of the sea drew him in for some reason.

' _When was the last time I saw the sea? Okeanos? We were too caught up with all the insanity that went down there to actually appreciate the view…maybe once or twice on Drake's boat but nothing serious…the drinking contests were great though. Man, those pirates sure knew how to drink.'_

A sigh unwittingly escaped Cu's lips, which drew the attention of Sanson. "Is something wrong? Is the book not to your standard?"

"Huh? No, this book is great, thanks for that by the way, it's just…ah, it's nothing. Just the boredom seeping through."

" _Quel malheur._ Perhaps another book would help you?"

"Nah, I think I'll finish this one."

Sanson shrugged and returned to reading. Cú did the same, relaxing again in the chair until a stray thought made him pause.

"Say, do you know where Leonidas and Mordred are?"

"…no, I haven't seen them recently, why?"

"I just didn't see them today, and they weren't in the simulator or the gym."

"Hmm…well, those are their usual haunts. Have you tried the Rayshift Chamber?"

Cú lowered the book and looked at Sanson. "The Rayshift Chamber? Why? I didn't know there were farming sessions scheduled for today."

"There aren't. Da Vinci and Dr. Roman recommended a small pause to check the Singularity flow, perhaps that's why things seem quiet. No, I mean to say that maybe those two just went out for some relaxation…or killing beasts, knowing their attitude."

The Irishman's eyes widened. "Since when could we do that!?"

Sanson lifted his eyes from his book and met Cú's stare. "Oh, you don't know? The scientists have recently found a way for us to spend time in the Singularities without beaming into monster-filled hotspots like we usually do, and without Master at that. Since then, a few of us have requested to Rayshift so we could spend some alone time in the 'outdoors', as it were."

Cú's mouth dropped. Why didn't he hear of this before!? "You mean to tell me that I can just go up and ask the geniuses to Rayshift to wherever for some fun time?"

"Ah…I…believe so, yes."

"…" Cú looked down at the novel, his gaze intense for a few seconds. Then, he stood up and snapped the book shut, a resolute look in his eyes.

"That settles it then!" He handed the book to the Frenchman, who took it with a confused stare. "Thanks for the book, Frenchie, it gave me an idea, so now I have something to do on this boring day! Bye now!"

Sanson blinked as the Lancer started to head out the library. That was…surprising.

"Um…if I may ask…" he called out to Cú, who stopped to listen. "What is it you are thinking of?"

The blue-clad Lancer turned around, a wide smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye, which made Sanson sweat a little. That look always meant something was going to happen.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going fishing!"

-x-

"Fishing?"

"Yeah, fishing! Can I go?"

Da Vinci blinked at Cú before swallowing some of her coffee. She should have known the day wasn't going to be this quiet…

"You're talking about the Servant Rayshifting, aren't you?"

"If that's what you call it, yeah! Sanson told me how you found us a way to go on vacation in the Singularities, so I wanna go fishing!"

The Caster scratched her cheek. "That is true…and there isn't anything urgent today…so I guess you can go…"

Cú grinned and stood up. "Great! I'll get my stuff and head right back so-"

"But!" Da Vinci cut him off. "We need Romani's authorization for this, so you're going to have to wait."

Cu looked down and let out an impatient 'tch'. He didn't have time for this! "Where is he?"

"He's in the infirmary doing a check-up on Harry, so he shouldn't be long."

The Irishman raised an eyebrow, but then his eyes and grin widened. "Thanks for the tip, missy! I'll go and talk to him so get everything ready!" With that, he ran out the door, leaving Da Vinci momentarily stupefied before shaking her head. She really should have expected this…

Cú dashed through the hallways of Chaldea, waving past any staff members he encountered until he got the infirmary doors. Without even a knock, he pressed the button to open them and stepped in, where the doctor was tapping on a tablet while Harry sat on a bed, legs dangling above the floor.

"Yo, doctor! Can I talk with you a moment?"

The doctor raised his head in surprise while Harry turned to him with a similar look that morphed into a happy expression.

"Big Bro Cú!" he called out and waved, to which the Lancer returned with a smile before returning his gaze to the doctor.

"Cú Chulainn? I must say, this is a surprise, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, I want to use the Rayshift and Miss Da Vinci said that I need to talk to you so, here I am?"

The doctor blinked. "The Rayshift? What for?"

"Fishing!"

Romani blinked again while Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "You're gonna go fishing?"

"Yeah! I'm bored and I want something fun to do, and I overheard some of the others talk about this, so here I am!" He walked to Harry's bed and sat beside him, placing a hand on his head. "Better yet, I want you to come with me!"

Harry gasped. "Really?"

"Sure am! I thought to myself: 'If I'm going fishing, I might as well teach my cute little brother how to fish!' Your old man didn't teach you yet, didn't he?"

"N-no."

"Well, that's even better! I'll teach you fishing, and we'll go out to catch some nice, juicy fish for dinner! What do you say, doc? You good with this?"

Romani opened his mouth to protest (despite not having a real argument), but soon faltered when Harry blinded him with a puppy-dog stare that only a devious female could have taught him while Cú placed his chin on his little Master's head, a faint smirk on his face.

(Meanwhile, a certain tanned schoolgirl was playing hide-and-seek with her twin when she sneezed, thus giving away her position before she was pelted by a water balloon.)

"Um…I…"

"Come on, doc. I promise I'll be careful and make sure the little Master stays perfectly safe. Besides" he gestured to Harry, who still had the puppy-dog look. "Look at him, he loves spending time with us, and he certainly loves spending time with his big bro; what better way to bond than with fishing?"

"…fine," Romani replied, sighing. "Okay, you can go. I was just about done here so I'll get the Rayshift ready. Just…don't do anything too stupid." He rose from his chair and headed out the room, rubbing his forehead in frustration and muttering. "Why must we be saddled with such troublesome Servants…?"

Harry looked on with worry at the good doctor as he left. "Is Dr. Roman okay?" he asked, looking up to his big-brother figure.

Cú looked down and ruffled Harry's hair. "Don't worry about him, he's tougher than he looks. Now, how about we go to your room and pick out stuff for our little trip? That, and we should probably tell your mom; I really don't want her giving me a verbal beatdown."

**An hour or so later in the Rayshift Chamber…**

"Well…I have to give it to you; you certainly are prepared" remarked Da Vinci.

"Eh, it's nothing special. I asked Medea to make this for summer but it'll do fine here." The Irish Lancer wore a blue Hawaiian beach shirt with white flowers and dark-green Bermuda shorts. Slung over his shoulder was a large duffel bag and a pair of sunglasses rested on his forehead. In his hand were two fishing rods – one large and red, and the other small and blue.

"Really? Well, her Magecraft is nothing to scoff at, so Spiritron Dresses must be trivial for her…I should ask her sometime…" she muttered, then shook her head. "Where is your spear?"

Cú's lips twitched upwards as he opened the palm of his hand. On it was inscribed a series of runes.

"Runes can make a lot of things easier if you know how to use them."

The inventor nodded, impressed by the subtle show of Magecraft. He wasn't his teacher, but Cú was no slouch when it came to runes.

"Alright, if you're ready, then I suppose we can start things up. I'll just-"

"Wait a moment missy" Cú stopped her. "There's still one more thing."

Da Vinci raised an eyebrow but her attention was caught by the sound of the doors opening. Into the chamber came Mata Hari and Harry…but the latter caught her by surprise.

The child Master wore a Hawaiian shirt identical to Cú's, with the only difference being the color of the shirt, emerald green, along with sky-blue Bermuda shorts with two pockets on each leg and sandals. He carried a backpack with him, and a straw hat slightly obscured his face, which was painted with sunscreen.

Da Vinci bit her lip and resisted the urge to squeal in delight at the utter cuteness of the little Master and glomp him as he trotted up to Cú.

"Look at you, little mister!" Cú exclaimed with a grin, looking him up and down. "A little fisherman in the making! Are you ready to have some fun with your big bro?"

"Mm-hm!" Harry nodded with excitement. "Where are we going?"

"Ahem" Da Vinci coughed, drawing the attention of the two. "I'm so glad you asked that Harry because I picked a prime fishing spot for you two." She looked up to the Command Module where Dr. Roman sat. "Romani, if you would!"

The doctor nodded and a bright spot on the holographic globe behind them appeared, right next to the Caribbean Sea.

"The island is in the Okeanos Singularity, somewhere near where modern-day Puerto Rico would be. It's nice and calm, so there shouldn't be any storms or highly dangerous monsters nearby, but be careful since it's still a singularity."

Harry and Cú nodded.

"Also," Da Vinci continued with a smile. "There's a freshwater lake on that island, so if you want to find more drinking water, that's the place to go."

"We'll take note of that." The Lancer patted his Master's head. "So, ready to go?"

"Mm-hm!" He went over to his mother and hugged her. "Bye, Mommy!"

Mata Hari bent down and returned the hug with a smile. "Have a good time with Cú, _schatje_. Remember to listen to him and don't stay too long in the sun. You'll burn your beautiful skin."

Harry blushed but nodded into her shoulder. "Okay, Mommy." He let go of her and went to Cú's side, with the two women waving at them as they left the Chamber. After they stepped out, the Master-Servant pair turned around and faced the holographic globe.

"You ready to catch some nice big fish, Harry?"

"Mm-hm! Maybe I can catch a really big one and show Mommy!"

"Heh, let's hope you do."

Dr. Roman's voice came over the loudspeakers. "Okay you two, everything's ready up here. Are you all set?"

Cú looked up and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Great, let's do this. Destination set, Spiritron Conversion activated, CHALDEAS System stable and functioning, commencing Rayshift in three, two, one…"

-x-

"Uugh…" The Hound of Ulster grumbled as he shook the dizziness away. Seriously, why couldn't the so-called geniuses make a way of Rayshifting that doesn't make one feel like they've been thrown in a blender?

Still, no point in dwelling on that now. If only he could get the light out of his eyes… "Oi Master, you alright?"

"Mmmph…yeah, Big Bro. What about you?" replied the voice of Harry, somewhere to his right.

"Eh, it takes more than that to stun me" Cú shook his head and blinked, allowing his vision to refocus. "Now, where exactly are-"

Harry rubbed his eyes as he too started to gain some sense of his surroundings. He wondered why Cú stopped talking when he finally got a good look and his jaw dropped.

Paradise. That was the best way to describe it. A long, beautiful beach with sand so white it could have been pearls and appeared as fine as silk. The clear blue sky contrasted to the azure-green of the sea below it. Behind the beach, greenery bloomed – palm trees, grass, and bushes grew out of the sand.

Harry was completely speechless. He had seen a lot of pretty beaches when he was here with Captain Drake, but this one looked unlike any one of them.

A low whistle drew his attention, so he turned to see a wide smile grow on Cú's face, his fang-like teeth gleaming in the sun. The Lancer met his gaze, the grin never once fading.

"Well, well, well, I have to say, Da Vinci outdid herself this time! This has got to be the prettiest beach I've ever seen, and the water looks great for fishing!"

He looked around for a few seconds, fully taking in the view before starting to walk on the beach. "Let's find a good spot to fish before we put down our things, okay?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically and rushed to his adoptive brother's side. The two began walking along the beach, admiring the heavenly view. The tropical wind caressed their faces as they treaded the pearly sand, and Harry began humming a tune he heard from Mozart.

The Irishman grinned at his little Master. "You sure are in a good mood."

Harry paused his humming and looked up at Cú, keeping his pace all the while. "Mm-hm, it's really pretty here."

The Lancer chuckled. "I know. I never saw anything like this when I was alive."

"Really? What was it like?"

"Well, Ireland is very green and rocky, with lots of forests, groves, and copses. Remember Septem? Kind of like that, but greener. The beaches weren't as pretty as this one, not even close – the sand was rough and hard, but they had their own charms. When I trained in Dun Scaith, sometimes I would finish a day's training with Teacher and I would go out to stare at the ocean. It's really soothing, watching the water flow and crash on the shore, the smell of the sea, and when the sun sets over the horizon…" he took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, his grin softening to a wistful smile. "Trust me kid, a sunset like that was worth a day of whatever tor - er, training Teacher put me through."

Harry nodded attentively. It was strange, see his big brother this peaceful, but it was nice.

"Do you think we could see the sunset today?"

"…I don't see why not. Some of the fish bite later in the day. Besides, I'm curious to see if the sunset here can make this place even more beautiful."

Their little talk died down as they continued walking, half-watching and half-basking. A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a small stub of rock that jutted out into the sea, a sort of natural dock.

"That's the place," Cú said as he pointed at the mini-peninsula. They trod on the ground – which had turned from sand into a smooth sort of rock and arrived at the tip. The Lancer set down his bag and motioned for Harry to do the same. Once he did that, he handed him the smaller fishing rod.

"Alrighty, kiddo. You ready to do some fishing?"

"Yeah!"

"Ha! That's great, so listen up. The first thing we gotta do is set up our fishing rods; that's how we're gonna catch all those nice fish. Do you see the long part of the rod? Try pressing it a little."

Harry lightly pushed down on said part and found out that the metal bent down as well. When he let go, the rod wobbled back to its original position.

"Mm-hm. That's a good sign; that means the rod is flexible enough to not snap when you try to reel in the fish. Speaking of the reel…" he then pointed to a device with a cranking handle that held a large spool of wire, which extended through small hops up and along the rod and ended with a black, plastic piece dangling at the edge.

"That's the reel, and that's how you're gonna pull the fish out of the water. The handle cranks only one way, and that's to reel the fish in. You see that black piece dangling at the end?"

Harry nodded and Cú plucked out of his bag a hook with a feathery-looking item attached to it.

"Take this hook and clip it to that piece. That's your lure, and that's how the fish will try and bite it."

Harry took the hook from Cú's palm and looked at it before his nose twitched.

"Why does it smell funny?"

"Ah, that's so more fish will come looking for it. I gotta say, that Alchemist can pull all sorts of weird tricks from his sleeves."

The raven-haired child set down the rod before he pulled the black piece towards him. With great care as to not hurt himself from the hook, he moved it a bit before a small click came from the piece.

"Well done, kiddo! You pick up pretty fast! Now, hold on a minute while I set up my own rod."

Harry watched as his adoptive brother swiftly set up his rod, checking the reel and hook like a master, excitement bubbling up in him. His big brother was awesome, he always looked so cool and confident, and he was always willing to help him or play with him. Why did some Servants treat him badly, like calling him a dog or saying he can die easily? Whenever he asked, Cú just patted him on the head and said: "It's nothing important, just a little joke between us. Don't worry kiddo, I won't die when you're around!"

So cool.

Cú plucked his line twice before nodding, apparently satisfied. He waved Harry back, held the rod over his head, and took a deep breath. His hands gripping the handle tightly, he swung the rod over his head, letting the line fly over his head with a whir, reaching far out to the waters where it fell down with a 'plunk'.

The Lancer turned to Harry, a look of satisfaction with a hint of smugness on his face. "Now you try."

Harry blinked and looked at the rod in his hands. That was it? It looked simple enough, but he didn't know if he could throw the line out as far as Cú had…

The young Master tightened his grip on the rod and lifted it above his head as Cú did. But just as he was about to swing the rod down…

"Whoa there! I almost forgot to tell you: when you swing, make sure the hook is away from you. You don't want a hook to get caught in your pants, believe me. Also, keep your legs firm on the ground, it'll stop you from slipping."

While a little confused as to why his brother didn't tell him that before, Harry nonetheless glanced behind him to make sure the hook was away from his body. Then, he leaned back and swung. The hook flew over him and into the water, though not as nearly as far as the Lancer's line.

Harry turned to Cú with a smile, to which he grinned. "Very good, Master! Not many can get it right the first time."

"Thanks! Now what?"

"Now for the best part!" Harry's eyes widened in excitement, waiting to see what his cool brother would do…only for him to sit down on the ground with the rod in his hands.

"We wait."

Harry tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean, wait?"

Cú cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and raised a finger, as though he was a teacher in one of Harry's lessons. Even his voice sounded a little deeper. "This is a sport of patience, my young Master. The fish won't bite instantly, so there is nothing to do but wait until we get a nibble."

"But…you said fishing is exciting."

"It is, once you've caught something. It's the reward that pays it off, not the fishing itself."

Harry nodded, although a slight pout could be seen on his face. Cú opened an eye and saw his Master's discomfort.

"Don't feel too glum, kiddo. When I started fishing, I had to wait a very long time before I caught a good fish. A good warrior knows how to be patient."

He then gestured to the ocean in front of them. "Besides, we can always admire the view. We don't get to see much of this in our day-to-day time!"

Harry looked down at his rod before nodding with a smile. Even if he did have to wait, he was spending time with his big brother! So he sat down next to Cú cross-legged, holding the fishing rod firmly.

Some time passed as the two sat in silence, listening to the sound of the water. The fishing lines gently swayed back and forth with the currents, but no fish had taken the bait. At some point, Cú had taken to reclining on the ground with the fishing rod held between his legs. Harry tried imitating him, but the rod slipped from his grasp. He blushed as he heard his brother's chuckle at his attempt.

"Relax, shorty. You gotta stay relaxed if you wanna be like this" he gestured to himself. "Just make sure to keep an eye out, ok? We don't want the fish slippin' away."

Harry mumbled but decided that he should just stay as he is for the time being.

"Say…how's the sunscreen holding up? Do you need me to some more on you?"

The young master looked at his arms and legs. The sheen from the cream was still there, despite some time passing. "No, it looks fine."

Cú raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Medea and her potions. Don't tell her I said this, but she's a god-da…er, a real genius."

"Why not? She hugs me when I say thank you to her."

"That's because you're a kid, her Master and she genuinely likes you. If someone like me complimented her…she wouldn't shut up about it."

A look of confusion appeared on Harry's face. "Don't worry about it Master, it's not like we hate each other or something it's just a…rivalry from the past."

"But you're from Ireland and she's from Greece. How could you have met unless…was it a Grail War?"

Cú nodded. "Nice observation, and yeah, it was. But it was a long time ago, so don't bother. What matters is that we're here now, and we're okay with each other."

He would've kept talking to Cú and asking him all sorts of questions…but he looked so calm, lying on the rock. He didn't want to disturb him.

The two resumed their…vigilant watch in the comfortable silence. A few minutes later, however, the young Master felt his rod shake a little. He looked to the ocean and saw the line twitching around.

"Big Bro! Big Bro!" Harry jumped in excitement. "I got something!"

The Lancer opened his eye with a hum, but he jumped up immediately with a grin once he saw Harry's line.

"Alright, about time something happened! Now you gotta turn the handle on your reel and pull the fish to you! Come on, hurry before it gets away!"

Harry quickly started turning the reel handle as fast as he could and saw that the line was moving closer and closer towards him. He almost slipped when the line jerked to the left, but he held his ground and kept pulling.

"If it moves in one direction, pull the other way! Come on Harry, you can do it!"

Harry held his ground as much as his legs could hold him. The fish jerked around a few times, but he managed to pull it back towards him every time. He wouldn't fail now, not when his brother was watching him; he would get that fish!

The catch drew closer and closer to the shore until finally, with a strong heave, Harry pulled it out of the water, where he finally saw it dangling from the end of the line the hook hooked through its jaw: a silver-scaled fish the size of his arm with a blue stomach, flailing in the air.

Cú let out an impressed whistle. "That's a big one! Looks nice and healthy too!" He walked to the fish and tapped it with his finger, upon which it stopped flailing and went completely still. The Lancer turned to Harry with a smile. "Well done, little bro. I'm impressed."

Harry blushed as he glowed under his brother's praise. That was definitely worth the waiting.

"Now, bring the fish to you and hold still." Cú set down his own rod and placed his foot over it as he reached into his bag and pulled out a camera. Meanwhile, Harry did as he asked and held the fish close to his face. The Lancer held the camera up and focused it on the child.

"We gotta make sure your Mama and your old man see this! Now, give me a smile!"

_FLASH!_

He lowered the camera and looked at the little screen before nodding, satisfied. "That's a good shot. I'll make sure to print it out once we get back to Chaldea."

"Thanks! Mommy will love this! But isn't that Mr. George's camera?"

"Hm? Yeah, he let me borrow it. He never misses out on the opportunity for more pictures." Cú then looked at the fish for a few seconds before suddenly smacking his head. "Gah! I forgot to bring a bucket!"

"A bucket? Why?"

"To preserve the fish! Otherwise, it'll start to stink all over the place!"

Harry worriedly looked at his catch. That sounded really bad, and Mommy didn't like it when he came back smelly. He bit his lip, trying to think of what to do when something came up in his head. The young master set the fish down on the ground and took off his backpack. He opened it and pulled two small identical daggers, slightly larger than his palm. The blades possessed a slight curve and the bottoms of the sharp ends had thorn-like protrusions, curving away from the hilt. Inlaid in the leather pommels stitched with purple cords were two emerald-green gems.

Harry took one of the daggers in his hand, bent down, and started carving on the ground around the fish, prompting Cú to stop his worried muttering and take a look. Once Harry finished carving, he pressed a finger on the first carving and the ground lit up in a blue circle surrounding the dead fish. The Lancer bent down and stuck his palm over the fish for a second before swiftly retracing it, shaking off the chilly sting he had felt.

Harry turned to ask Cú how he did, but the impressed grin on his face told him everything.

"Oho! Looks like someone's been looking through runecraft, very nice! Where did you learn to make this?"

The child Master blushed. "Um…I was reading with Miss Da Vinci in the library after one of our lessons, and she gave me a book about runes. I-I was curious and started trying out some ideas-"

"Waitwaitwait, you tried experimenting with runes _alone!?_ "

Harry eep-ed at his brother's alarmed tone. "N-no! Da Vinci and Altoria were with me the whole time!"

Cú let out a relieved sigh but raised an eyebrow. "Da Vinci I can…somewhat understand, she can figure out anything if she thinks hard enough about it, but the ice queen? Since when does she know about runes?"

"Um…Da Vinci asked her the same thing, and she said something about how her sword was made with runes, but then she started muttering something about 'stupid wizards never explaining anything right' and Da Vinci had to stop her…"

"…right, Excalibur was made with faerie runes, but still…eh, what can you do. Still, this really impressive work! You made this all by yourself?"

"Mm-hm!"

Cú chuckled and ruffled his brother's hair. "Well, guess then I better polish my own runes so I don't fall behind my little brother!"

Harry, his face now red as a tomato, looked down in embarrassment. "…you're still cooler."

"Don't sell yourself short, kiddo. Keep up your studies and you'll be a runemaster in no time!" The Irishman leaned down and observed the runes carved around the fish. "Hmm… _isaz, eihwaz_ and _laguz_. Freezes the target and preserves its life-force. Nice choice; acts like a runic refrigerator. Did you test this on something before?"

"I went out farming with Miss Altoria and Daddy, and I tried it on a boar we just killed. Daddy gave me a headpat!"

"He did, huh? With work like this, you certainly deserved it." He got back up and looked at his line, upon which he sighed in disappointment. "Still not biting…maybe a little more." He looked back at Harry. "Cast your line again, let's see who gets the fish next time."

Harry did as he asked, the line once again flying into the sea. They both sat down and resumed their fishing in silence.

Time passed as the sun started to approach the horizon, and so far, no other fish has decided to bite. But while the two were content with their current state, Cú started feeling a tad restless. Back in Ireland, at least the sounds and critters of the forests would distract him and keep him company. Here? Nothing but him, his Master and the ocean. Add the feeling of hunger that started to creep on him (despite not actually needing food, but being spoiled by the likes of Emiya and Tamamo had its side-effects), he could feel once again the dreaded feeling of boredom settling in.

That wouldn't do, that certainly wouldn't do. He had come here to beat boredom, not fall in its clutches again!

With that resolution in mind, he got and started heading towards the island proper.

"Where are you going?" asked Harry, curious at his brother's sudden movement.

Cú turned to his Master with a reassuring grin. "I'm just gonna head out and see if there's anything interesting on this island. Da Vinci said there's a lake somewhere, so maybe there's a better place for fishing. Don't worry, I'll be back soon, so just keep an eye on my rod, will you?"

The raven-haired child turned to look at the ocean worriedly for a moment, as if some unknown creature might leap out at any moment, but returned his gaze to his brother and nodded.

"Great!" and with that, he dashed off into the tropical woods, leaving Harry alone. He still felt a touch of anxiety, but the ocean view and scent calmed him, letting thoughts of his mother's and friends' praise at catching a fish fill his head.

A few minutes of serenity later, as dusk settled, and Harry was shaken from his thoughts when he saw a small shape bob out of the water in the distance, only for it to disappear.

' _What was that?'_ he thought. He kept looking at the spot where the shape vanished, but there was nothing but the setting sun. He looked away and scratched his head, trying to decide if it wasn't some illusion when he saw Cú's line wobble fiercely in the water. The rod connected to it was nearly pulled in, but he leaped and pulled back, trying to reel in the catch.

' _Wow! It has to be a really big fish! I can't wait for Big Bro to see what I've caught!'_ Harry smiled as he thought of the praise Cú would give him, but suddenly the line went slack.

If it wasn't for his instincts screaming at him to dodge, he would've been knocked straight into the ocean.

He quickly shook his head and looked up, and froze.

Rising out of the water was an enormous blue…beast. The water rushed down its coral-like armor, with grey spikes jutting at various points; especially at the head, where they formed a crown-like shape. The underbelly was black, and blue light glowed between the plate-cracks. The tail was similarly covered in armor, tipped with wicked-looking spikes that most certainly marred the rock before him. Its open jaw was strange, uneven at both sides. Its eyes glowed blue, but Harry saw the hunger within them.

The beast fixed its gaze on Harry as he slowly bent down to pick up his daggers. _'In, out. In, out'_ he repeated over and over in his head, remembering the combat lessons he was taught. _'Don't freeze up, don't hesitate and don't stop mov-AAH!'_

He jumped to the side just as the beast's gigantic claws smashed right where he stood before. He barely took a breath as the claws swiped towards him and was forced to jump back. With the armored appendage right in front of him, Harry instinctively lashed out with his daggers at the claw…only for it to just leave a scratch.

The beast was not amused if the hollow-sounding hiss was anything to go by.

It reared its head back and struck like a snake at Harry, making him jump back once again. The impact shattered the rock before him, with the beast shaking its head and glaring at him with increasingly hateful eyes.

While others may have frozen at the sheer intensity of the stare (and for a moment he nearly did), the young Master recalled an important lesson Altoria taught him:

' _Sometimes you need only one strike to be defeated, only one moment of weakness. If you see a weakness in your enemy,_ _ **use it.**_ _'_

Harry raised a dagger at the beast, letting the mana flow through him and into the dagger and…

" **GANDR**!"

The dagger flashed green before a sickly purple bolt flew out of the tip and right into the beast's eye. The beast recoiled in pain and let out a loud, ear-piercing shriek that made the trees behind Harry ripple. Seeing his chance, he turned around and ran away from the ocean. He knew that little blast wasn't going to be enough, because the sound of water rushing and stone breaking suddenly grew stronger and closer. He saw a shadow growing darker around him and jumped as the beast struck the shore, and rolled in the sand.

Harry stood and brushed the sand from his face and saw the beast raise its claws from the shore and hiss at him violently, now fully out of the water. His thoughts were racing, trying to think of a way to retreat when…

**CLANG! "SKRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

A flash of red struck the beast on the heat, forcing it violently back on the shore. Harry barely managed to blink in surprise before Cú Chulainn landed in front of him, only now he held a sharp red spear.

"I leave for a moment and this happens? Yeesh, Master, your luck is weird."

Harry blushed and looked down, making Cú chuckle. "Relax kiddo, you know I'm kidding." He took a closer at the monster, who raised its now-scarred head. It hissed angrily at Cú started to coil up, but as the Lancer took a battle stance, the beast seemed to narrow its eyes and focus its stare on the red spear. A second later, its eyes widened in an unknown emotion before letting out an angry screech and charging towards the two.

Cú smirked and jumped above the beast, delivering another solid blow to its head and landing behind it. After letting out a hiss of pain, it quickly turned around and focused again on the Lancer. Cú swiftly dodged a claw strike and a tail whip and once again delivered another blow with his spear, this time on the monster's shoulder. It recovered faster and attacked again, the rage on its armored face growing more visible by the second, only for the Irishman to grin wildly and dodge. This repeated a few times, with the beast attacking and Cú dodging before striking it somewhere. Harry just watched, fascinated at his brother's and Servant's power like always before shaking his head and steeling his resolve. He was a Master of Chaldea, he couldn't just sit on the sidelines!

"Cú! Try aiming at the eyes again!"

The Lancer's head perked up and nodded. Without waiting for the beast to attack, he leaped towards it with a burst of speed and drove the spear into the wounded eye. The beast howled in agony as red barbs sprung from the wound and out of the cracks in his armor, while Cú nimbly landed, twirling the spear in its hand.

The beast gave out a few heaves of pain before rising up again. If it was murderous then, the rage in his remaining eye was now apoplectic. It gripped the sand under its claws so hard the ground around them cracked as the blue light in its belly glowed brighter and brighter, seeping out of its armor as wisps. Cú re-entered his battle stance before a hot simmering in his hand made him turn to see that his spear started to glow a deep red. Confused, as he didn't feel anything wrong with the spear, he looked back and forth between the beast and the weapon until he finally settled on the beast. An inquisitive gleam sparked in his eyes before they widened and his body started to shake. Harry had moved to the side and saw this, but just as he was about to ask what was wrong…

"HAHAHAHA! Man, talk about coincidence!" He threw his head back and laughed with such strength that even the beast paused for a second. He then stared into the beast's glowing eye and the fanged smirk grew even wider as the grip on his spear tightened. "So, you here for a sort of rematch? Well, I'll be happy to oblige!"

Harry tilted his head. Did Cú know this monster?

"Don't worry, Master! This thing's still going down!" The air started to ripple around the beast as the blue light grew brighter and brighter. "But I think we should finish this now!"

Harry narrowed his eyes and nodded, throwing his arm out. "Lancer! Use your Noble Phantasm!"

"With pleasure!"

As the beast's opened with a blinding radiance, a swirl of red energy formed around the spear and flowed into the tip. The Hero of Ulster bent his knees and drew his arm back.

"Thrust and pierce…"

And with a mighty leap…

" **GAE BOLG!"**

The legendary spear pierced the beast's jaw and through its head. It twitched in place, letting out a strangled heave, before finally collapsing. As the sand settled, Cú rose and pulled the spear out of the fresh carcass, tar-like blood dripping down its edge. He let out a sigh of contentment and gave his Master a thumbs-up.

Harry was too awed to respond, staring slack-jawed at his brother, looking every bit the hero of his saga.

"Heh, you think you would get used to this after seeing it enough times…man, kids are fun." The Lancer hopped off the carcass and walked to the child, ruffling his exposed hair. That snapped Harry out his stupor and hugged him fiercely.

"That was so cool!" exclaimed Harry with stars in his eyes. Cú just chuckled. "Think nothing of it, little bro. It didn't even scratch me."

Harry kept hugging Cú and babbled in excitement when he looked at the destroyed peninsula and his smile shrank.

"What wrong?" He pointed at the rock and mumbled into his brother's chest.

"The fish…"

The Irishman's eyes widened and sent a sharp glance at the island. True enough, not only was the fish gone but so were the fishing rods.

"Aw, that's a shame. Sorry about that, kiddo. I should've gotten here sooner." Harry shook his head, mumbling that it wasn't his fault. Cú just patted his back.

He looked at the rock and bit his lip. It really was a bummer that the fish they worked so hard to catch was gone. Now that they had no fishing rods, they couldn't get any more fish, and after this little incident, he really didn't want to leave Harry alone again, so…

A lightbulb went over Cú's head.

"Hey, kiddo." Harry looked up and Cú gently pried him away. "Don't be so glum, I've got just the thing."

He dashed off into the trees, kicking sand behind him, and returned a second later holding two ripe mangoes. "I found these in the trees. They're not fish, but they're far more delicious."

He swiped a dagger from Harry's hand and cut up the fruits at lightning-speed. He then lowered his open hand, where a mango sat opened and its orange insides cut into cubes.

"Just eat it like an apple."

The child blinked and took the fruit from Cú's palm. He bit into the fruit, and let out a moan of delight as its taste danced on his little tongue.

"Pretty good, huh? Tastes way better than fish." Harry nodded absentmindedly, focusing entirely on the mango. The Servant let out an amused chuckled and sat down cross-legged on the sand, pulling Harry into his lap. He let out a squeak of surprise, then just leaned back and returned to his fruit, with Cú doing the same to his own mango.

And so they sat together, watching the sunset illuminate the ocean in a dazzling mixture of reds and yellows, as the corpse of the sea monster lay next to them. The Irish Hero was drawn to the beautiful scene, losing himself in its tranquility.

' _Well, it's certainly prettier than Dun Scaith. Heh, sorry Teacher, but this beats your 'splendid palace'. Didn't really expect this little trip to turn out the way it did, and it turned out all right but…I let my guard down. We're still in a Singularity.'_

"Hey, Master…" Harry looked up, having finished his mango. "I'm still sorry about the fish. It did look pretty delicious."

"…it's okay. We still have the picture, right?"

"Oh yeah, I took the bag with me. I'll ask the Saint to frame it."

"Mm-hm. I got to spend time with you, and I'm really happy about that."

Cú looked down with wide eyes for a second, before smiling and ruffling his brother's hair. "Anytime, kiddo, anytime. Tell you what, next time we come here, we'll catch a really huge fish and bring it home."

"Really!?"

"Sure, I'll make Fergus and Diarmuid cry in shame and your Mom and Dad will be so proud of you. And like you said, we'll spend more time together."

Harry's eyes shone with delight and hugged him fiercely. He put an arm around his shoulders and pressed him to his chest.

' _I'm proud of you, little brother. You're a strong kid, in some ways stronger than I was. You may not be what we expected as a Master but as family…_

… _I really couldn't ask for anyone better.'_

Truly a satisfying end to a once boring day.

"…Harry?"

"Mm?"

"…could you not tell your Mom about the sea monster thing? I really don't want to get yelled at…"

* * *

**So? What do you think? A nice fishing trip with Cu and Harry, and an action scene on top of it! As a request, when you review (and you WILL review), I would appreciate feedback on both the chapter and my action sequence, since that's my weakpoint in writing.**

**The TVTropes page needs updating, so I ask of you, please contribute to it! PLEASE!**

**If you like this story, go check out my other stories here, AO3 and on Spacebattles.**

**Hope you all enjoyed and stay safe!**

**Read and Review! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. Omake (NON-CANON)

**The Weeping of the Heavens**

The sound of rain.

Calm, soothing, tranquil...yet many associate it with sorrow. For is rain not heaven's tears? The lamentation of the world at some tragedy?

Some may find solace and comfort in the rain, for it brings life to crops and the green...but to others, it is the world weeping at their sorrows.

The child in the car had tears of his own. It was just him in the back; the driver's seat was blocked by a tinted window. The tears had left long, red marks, as water would on a rock.

He had cried long and hard for what felt like months, even if days had passed. The sorrow did not pass over him in sleep, for the memories had shown up in his mind over and over.

Why?

Did he not suffer enough?

Why couldn't he be happy?

_**Why couldn't they stay?** _

Tall buildings started to show up through the window. The soft humming of cars was heard.

He fiddled with the brimmed hat on his lap. He would've collapsed, shut himself in for good or...he thanked the staff. They did their best, but it wasn't enough. None of it was. The rest was a blur. Tall men in suits and funny clothes came and walked around, they asked him a few questions, but Miss Da Vinci backed them off. He didn't remember after that. He was too busy sobbing into her chest.

He felt the car turning here and there and saw that they had entered a...bamboo forest, he recalled. Just like...

A sob choked up his throat. It wasn't fair. He wanted to stop crying. He wanted the pain to go away... _ **like how she would make it go away.**_

A minute had passed, and suddenly the car stopped. He looked up and a second later the red-haired woman opened up the door, holding an umbrella. She looked strange...well, not really. She looked fine, but her eyes were strange...kind of like daddy's when they were red.

She was nice. She patted his head.

He climbed out of the car and pulled his suitcase, the hat resting on his head. A stone path was in front of him, flanked by tall bamboos. The woman looked behind him and closed the door. She took his hand and started walking down the path, the umbrella shielding him from some of the tears.

A large mansion soon appeared in front of them. It looked a lot like a few he had been to before; pointed roof, tall wooden walls...but it was beautiful.

As they approached, he felt his heart quicken. All of his fears, his anxieties, were now coming at him full force, previously drowned by the tears. What if it didn't work? What if they didn't want him? What if he had to...

The door was in front of him. The woman raised her hand and knocked. His breath stilled. One. Two. Three. Four.

Click.

A gasp escaped his lips. She was taller, her hair was longer...but she was exactly the same. Wearing a snow-white dress ( _kimono,_ he recalled), her face was just like then.

She looks down and their eyes meet. He gulped; it was always hard to tell what she was thinking. She looks back up and meets the gaze of the red-haired woman.

"... _I assume there's a story behind this."_

_"You can say that. Can we come in? The kid's shivering."_

Japanese. He knew it. How could he not?

The woman nods and sidesteps. The two enter the house. It was...plain. The walls were white, the beams a simple wood, with only the occasional painting here and there. The two follow the regal woman into a small lounge, where a table surrounded by cushions lay. On the table was a black teapot, with two porcelain cups at its side.

She motions him and the red-hair to sit down. He does so, taking off his hat and placing his suitcase near him. The woman sits down in front of him and begins pouring tea into the cups.

_"So, what brings you all the way here?"_

_"What, can't I say hi to an old student of mine?"_

_"I don't know if I was ever a student...more like a freeloader."_

_"Hmm. Married life changed you. You used to be wilder, reckless."_

_"What can I say? I learned from the best."_

She pushes the cups towards them and he calmly sips it, trying not to shake. _"Why is there a child with you?"_

The read-haired woman let out a sigh and put down her cup. _"You know about that little project of the Animusphere's? The one that went dark and suddenly reappeared?"_

_"I've heard a thing or two."_

_"The Clock Tower contracted me to assist in the clean-up and investigation of the place and...we found him."_

She pats his head.

"... _I knew that magi started out young, but isn't he a little...?"_

" _Well, let's just say that a lot happened there, way more than what we could've expected. And...have you had any strange visions or feelings lately?"_

_"...perhaps."_

The woman sighs. She turns to him and nods. "Show her."

The child reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. An _ofuda,_ she called it. A talisman that brought fortune and blessings. He places it on the table. This was it.

_**"When you return...should we meet again, show this to me, and I will know you."** _

That's what she said. His only hope of not going back.

The regal woman raises an eyebrow, yet gently takes the talisman. She looks at it for a moment and...

The air shifted. The world seemed to **blink.**

Her eyes widen by a fraction. She puts down the paper charm and looks at him intently, still possessing that calmness, but this time...could it be?

_"...could you step outside for a moment?"_

The red-hair nods. _"Sure, could use a smoke break. If you need me, I have the paperwork."_

She steps outside the room, leaving the child and the woman staring at each other. Silence looms, neither one moving a muscle; one stricken by hope and fear, and the other...

She rises and walks toward him, sitting down again in front of him...and gently cupping his cheek.

His dull green eyes brighten as he slowly raises his hand to place on hers. Could it really be...?

"...Miss Shiki?"

A gentle smile blooms on her face as she rubs his cheek. She slowly maneuvers her hand to the back of his head and gently pusher him to her. He latches onto her dress, his sobs once again filling the room.

"...hello Harry. It's so good to finally meet you." She holds him and rubs her other hand up and down his back. The child responds with even more sniffles.

"...why? Why did Mommy and Daddy go? Why did Jackie go? Why did they all go?"

Because it is the nature of their being, she wanted to say. Their time has long since passed.

But that was a partial lie. The proof of another chance was holding her tightly.

"...I'm so sorry Harry. But it's okay now. I made a promise, and now I'm here for you, Miss Fujino will be here for you and I swear to you, we will never let you go..."

The heavens kept weeping over the house, but within its sorrow...there was also joy.

For as one chapter ended...another began. And this time, the heavens would not weep.

* * *

**Yeah, a non-canon omake that I just had to get out...can anyone figure out what happened?**

**Seriously, why isn't there anymore Fujino and Shiki love out there!?**

**Also, if anyone else wants to write an omake, please do.**

**Read and Review! My other stories too!**


	11. Chapter 10

**I don't own Fate/Grand Order or Harry Potter.**

* * *

**IMPORTANT!** **When you read this chapter, play the song "A Nostalgic Dream" by Peter Gundry. I wrote the chapter because of it, and it influenced the whole tone. Play it on loop if you must, but play it!**

**[A Nostalgic Dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLWqxqMYlXE) **

* * *

What is weakness?

Depending on the person being asked, the answer may vary. A warrior would say it's a lack of prowess on the battlefield. A scholar would say it's a lack of knowledge. A politician would say it's the inability to persuade. Regardless of the circumstance, everyone can agree that weakness is the inability to do something, to be placed at the bottom of the proverbial measuring stick. And as such, it is considered an undesirable trait to have.

Weakness, of course, can mostly be overcome. Through training of the body or mind, if one should prove diligent and earnest, then a person can relinquish the shackles of weakness and rise up from the bottom.

Yet, there are cases where one can feel like they are trapped at the bottom, and no matter what they try, they will never rise up.

A great many tales have been told about one's strength shining through, but in this tale, it will be weakness taking center stage…

She should have seen this coming.

She really should have.

The last fight was very bloody and had ended with a trip to the infirmary. A good night's sleep never came all the previous times.

But no, she dared to hope that there was still a chance that this couldn't happen. Unfortunately, reality is a cruel mistress.

Mata Hari stormed down one of Chaldea's long hallways, her face scrunched up in distress. Her yellow dress fluttered behind her, and she walked with such determination that anyone in front of her would've immediately moved to the side. Fortunately, there was no one trying to stop her.

She made one last turn and stopped, lightly panting. Standing outside the door to Harry's room and leaning on the wall on one side was Mordred in her casual wear, Cu Chulainn in his blue suit, and a bronze-skinned man with a white cloth around his waist and a jeweled neckband. Mash and Shiki stood on the other side. With the expectation of the purple-haired Shielder, who was rubbing her hands and casting worried glances at the door, all of them bore somber looks.

The Assassin felt her shoulders slightly tense and walked to the door, drawing all of their attention to her. Mash's eyes widened from behind her glasses and took a step forward.

"M-Miss Hari! We've tried looking for you b-but there was n-no time and D-Dantès just ran-"

The dancer raised her hand. "Take it easy, Mash. Hundred-Face already told me, but thank you. When did this happen?"

"A few minutes ago," Shiki spoke up. "I myself was in one of the hallways but then I saw the Count rushing over here."

"Same," Cu added. "But I was in the simulator with the Knight over here." He pointed with his thumb to Mordred. "We didn't see the Count, but we felt that something was wrong."

She sighed. "I imagine most of the Servants felt that." Her voice lowered to a frail tone, quivering. "How is he…?"

This time Mordred spoke up. "The edgelord hasn't left the room since we got here. We would've gone in but this high-and-mighty jerk," she gestured with her head to the Egyptian. "Stopped us."

"You would have done more harm than good," retorted the man. "You might be close to him, but the last thing the boy needs is your rambunctious attitude."

The Saber growled and moved forward, but the Irishman's hand on her shoulder stopped her. She shot him a look promising pain, but he didn't budge. Reluctantly, she stepped down.

Mata Hari smiled briefly at their antics and took a deep breath. She raised her hand to open the door when the bronze-skinned man spoke.

"Do not doubt yourself when it comes to that child, O Dancer of the Sun. Whatever failings you may think you possess, just remember this: out of everyone in this Organization, he chose _you_.

Take pride in that."

She paused as the words sunk into her head. While she wasn't exactly surprised that the Servant knew what was troubling her (aside from the obvious), it still felt unnerving. Yes, she knew what he said to be true, but…

She shook her head. No, now was not the time.

She turned to the man and smiled. "Thank you for your words, Your Majesty."

Pharaoh Ozymandias nodded in return. "You would do well to remember those words, for they are those of the King of Kings."

Mata Hari gave a slight curtesy and opened the door. The sight inside made her heart wrench.

Around the bed were huddled nearly all of the child Servants, each of them bearing looks of worry. On the bed itself lay Harry, her son in all but blood, shivering as tears streamed down his face. Dantès had a gloved hand on his little head, the Avenger's face showing only the barest hint of concern as Serenity and Jackie were cuddling him from behind, the former whispering into his ear.

She choked back a sob; whatever happened, she had to be strong. For him.

She forced a smile on her face and approached the bed. The sound of her footstep drew everyone's attention to her once more.

"M-mama?" Her son asked, his voice filled with pain as the children parted way for her. Dantès removed his arm and took a step back.

"Hello, _schatje_ ," she cooed as she bent down and cupped his cheek. "Did you have another bad dream?" He nodded.

The dancer drew in another breath and leaned forward to envelop him in her arms. She pressed his face against her bosom and let him wrap his tiny arms around her. He started sobbing into her chest, and she rubbed his back in soothing motions.

"Shh...shh...cry all you want, my darling _schatje_ ," she whispered. "Mommy's here to scare away all the nasty dreams."

The child Master just kept crying. The other children remained silent, and a few started to clench their fists in frustration. Serenity and Jack wore pained looks and joined in, with the Hassan leaning forward and rubbing her fingers through his hair, and Jackie joined in the hug, trying to nuzzle Harry's cheeks.

Mata Hari bit her lip to try and not break down. Why? Why was her child suffering like this? Has he not suffered enough hardship?

Some time later, his cries started to quiet down to soft sobs. "How bad was it this time?" she asked, turning to the Avenger.

"...I didn't see most of it, but it wasn't Fuyuki. No doubt the chimera from today's raid triggered this," he replied.

Her gaze started to narrow. "I don't understand, why couldn't you stop this? You can tell if his subconscious is being attacked?"

Dantès sighed and lowered his head. "Intrusion from outside forces is easy to detect. Post-traumatic stress? Not so much. Especially since dampening his mental link with everyone already requires constant attention. It was only when his cry for help got through the barrier that I noticed something was wrong."

Her stare slowly softened. "I apologize," she muttered. "I know you're doing a fantastic job. It could have been way worse but-"

"It could also be better, I know."

She looked down at her son's head and tightened her grip on him. He was not sleeping alone for the next week.

"Jackie?" the child Assassin looked up from her hug. "Could you take the other children outside and bring your blankets? I think Harry would like a sleepover. If you need help, you can ask the others outside."

"Can we bring stuffed toys?" asked Alice.

Mata Hari turned to Alice, who was wringing her hands nervously. "Of course," she replied, smiling. "In fact, bring as many as you can."

"I'll bring pillows!" Gil exclaimed.

"I have snake plushies," Ana whispered.

Now invigorated, the children rushed out of the room. The Dutch Servant felt warmth in her Spirit Origin. It was always so good to see how much those children cared for Harry.

She then turned to her fellow Assassin. "Serenity, could you step outside and help them? Or maybe bring something else that can help Harry?"

Serenity looked down at Harry and bit her lip. "...I can ask Cursed Arm for some incense. It can help him calm down, and I'll make it so it won't be harmful."

"That would be lovely, thank you." The girl placed a kiss on the crown of his head and left, albeit with reluctance. Once she, Harry, and Dantès were the only ones in the room, Mata Hari gently picked her son up and got on the bed. She leaned into the fluffy pillows and placed him once more on her chest. After placing a blanket over them, she started fiddling with his messy black hair. By now his sobs had become soft snores.

The dancer played with his hair as she felt his breath on her skin. She started softly humming a lullaby to him, one her own mother sang to her whenever she awoke crying at night. As she kept humming, she saw Harry's eyes dry and his cute little smile return to him bit by bit.

By the time she finished, it seemed like he never had that nightmare at all.

"He is at peace." She turned to Dantès. "I feel no more pain from him."

She smiled softly. "That's good. I'm still not letting him sleep alone."

"I never thought otherwise." The Avenger tilted his head as he turned his gaze to Harry. "I must say, I am surprised at the ease with which you calmed him down. Not even the Ripper was able to soothe him so."

"Well, I _am_ his mother," she said.

"...hm, an acceptable answer as any, I suppose," he replied, the corner of his lip twitching. "Still, the amount of trust he puts in you something I have only seen a few times in my life, then and now."

Mata Hari looked down trying to hide her blush. She tried to retort, but what he asked next made her pause:

"How is it exactly that you two met?"

She blinked and gave him a confused look. "You don't know?"

"No, I don't recall you ever telling me."

"But you can read his subconscious. Surely one time you saw our first meeting. And didn't you once read the entire mission archives?"

He shrugged. "I never bothered looking too much into them, just the battle reports. That, and I only read him when I have to. I'd rather not make a habit of constantly looking around in his head.

Besides, the best way to hear a story sometimes is from the one who was there."

The Dutch beauty bit her lip. She was still surprised Dantès didn't know, even with his standoffish nature. But how often did they exactly talk to one another, especially when it comes to matters like this?

...still, as Harry's father, he should know.

"Well, we still have time before they come back." She leaned on the wall and settled herself, still clutching Harry. She took a deep breath and spoke, the memories of that day flashing in her mind's eye once more.

"It was in Orleans that I was summoned…"

* * *

_I didn't know how long I was there, my consciousness floating in the Throne of Heroes. An hour? A few years? Centuries? Time didn't matter. If I could properly think in that space, I imagine I would've been surprised at ending up with such famous figures. Me, a simple dancer, betrayed by her own, alongside heroes and legends. I sometimes had flashes of different lives, experiences not my own. Of those Grail Wars. Where one could win a chance to make a wish. It would've been nice, to win such a war, to earn such a chance._

_But what can a simple dancer do? No weapon, no magic, no great feat of strength to call my own. What person would summon such a Spirit?_

_One day, I felt it. A tug from beyond the void, calling me. This was my chance. A second chance at life, and a chance to make a wish._

_...a futile chance, but it wouldn't hurt, right?_

_I accepted the call. A whirl of lights, sensations, and colors passed through my soul. I felt my body form and wrap around my spirit._

_The light dies. I feel the wind on my skin as trees start to fill my vision. It seems that I have been summoned in a forest._

" _Servant, Assassin. I go by the name Mata Hari. Nice to meet...you?"_

_I blinked at the sight before me: a child, looking no older than a toddler and beside him a young girl wearing armor, along with another child with silver hair holding a pair of knives._

_I felt confused. The two girls definitely looked and felt like Servants, so did that mean that this child was...my Master?_

" _Um...hello. I'm Harry, y-your Master."_

_I take a step forward and get a good look at him. His body was thin, too thin for a child his age. His green eyes had flickers of fear in them and I could see his body tensing up. I've seen this before, many times in the streets of Europe. But to think that I would see it in a child as young as him…_

_I hear him gulp. I smile at him and lean down. "It's okay, don't be afraid," I say in a soothing tone. My Skill would normally calm down any male just by seeing me. I didn't know if it would work on a child, but for some reason, it doesn't feel right to try._

" _Ahem, nice to meet you too!" A voice draws my attention to the glowing blue image of a woman. I blinked again. This day was starting to become full of surprises._

" _Who are you?" I ask politely._

" _I'm the great genius, Leonardo Da Vinci! I'm little Harry's guide in this mission of ours. Do you know why you're here?"_

_Trying to get the shock of the fact that Leonardo Da Vinci was a woman out of my system, I feel knowledge from the Throne pour into me._

" _Yes. There is a war for humanity, right?"_

" _Right-o! I've gotta say, I didn't expect someone from the modern era to appear as a Servant. Mata Hari, the Dutch spy, huh? It's an honor to meet you."_

" _The honor is mine, Miss Da Vinci" I reply and lightly bow. The woman just laughs and waves her hand._

" _No need for bowing here. We kind of need to get moving, 'cause I don't yet know how safe this place is. So, are you ready?"_

_I look back at the child - no, Harry. The fear still lingered in his eyes, as if though I was about to strike him. Pain gripped my chest. What happened to him to make him fear me that much?_

_I reach out and gently cup his cheek. His eyes widen and his mouth opens and closes, trying to understand what I was doing. I smile again as dark thoughts fill me. My own children would react this way whenever Rudolf had one of his drunken fits._

" _I may not be much help in a fight, but if you will accept this humble dancer, I will gladly join you, Harry."_

* * *

"From there, we kept moving through France. The part of me that was nostalgic for the country that I spent most of my career in was overshadowed by the horror of what had become of it. Dragons flying everywhere. Villages burnt to the ground. Men, women, and children all screaming and dying at the hands of monsters, or even by their fellow men. And as we kept traveling, I realized just how useless I was. Every time a dragon came down on us or a boar came charging, either the other Assassin - who I learned was Jack the Ripper, to my eternal shock - cut them up with blinding speed or the shield-bearing girl Mash bashed them while protecting Harry. All I could do was watch. I knew some basic fighting, but what good were they against such beasts?

The only thing that I managed to do was be there for Harry. If Jackie wasn't there, he latched on to my leg or waist. Every time our eyes met however, he would instantly detach and brace himself, as though I was going to hit him.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to help him, but I just didn't know how to. A few reassuring words didn't help. He wasn't a grown man or a teenager who I could calm by batting an eyelash. I felt even more useless than before.

It was only after our encounter with Jeanne D'Arc and her Alter counterpart that I made any progress…"

* * *

 _The moon was high in the sky as I walk with a basket of bread back to our hut. This village was one of the few to remain unaffected by the horrors of the Dragon Witch. The French tongue was different than that of my own time, but a sly wink or two helped get the point across._ _I look down at the basket and chuckle at the thought of one of our new companions. We have bread, so we don't need cake._

_I push open the door and enter the hut when a soft whimper reaches my ears. I place the basket on a table and head over to one of the rooms. I peek inside and see Jackie clutching Harry as he was crying. She was trying to calm him down, but it didn't seem to be working._

_I don't why I did it. Maybe it was a reminder of my past life that was too much for me. Maybe I just couldn't stand to see a child like that cry._

_I rush forward and pull him into a hug._

_He froze in my grip. I gently rub his back as I did to my Jeanne all those years ago. "Shh...shh...it's okay. You can cry if you want. I won't hurt you, I promise."_

_A second passed. Then another. And another. He didn't say anything. For a moment, I thought that he had gone into shock. Then the dam burst and the tears started to flow._

_Hours seemed to pass as I held him, letting him cry his heart out. He occasionally babbled something, but it was mixed in with his tears. I didn't say anything; just let him pour out his pain and sadness onto me._

_In the end, he fell asleep in my arms. I watch his body go up and down with his soft breaths. As I gently scratch his messy scalp, I see Jackie looking at him from the corner of my eye with happiness, and...is that jealousy?_

_I gesture her to come closer. She looks at me cautiously. I gesture again. She edges closer to me, and soon I have her in my arms as well. They look so cute like that, holding one another._

_The question still rages in my mind: what did he - and also Jackie - go through to be this cautious of me? What other horrors did they face to make them like this?_

_I am snapped from my musing by the sound of Mash's voice._

" _Harry, I think it's time to...oh."_

_I turn around and see the girl looking at me with shock. Behind her, I see the sun has started to rise. Has it been that long?_

_Her gaze lingers on us for a moment before a gentle smile appears on her lips. She walks forward and crouches down._

" _He looks so peaceful now," she mutters as she twirls a lock of his messy hair. "Did you do something to him? Is it your Skill?"_

_I blink, a little shocked by the accusation. "N-no, I don't think it would work on a child."_

_She blushes. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've hugged him before and he never calmed down like this. He always twitches in his sleep, like something's going to attack him. Jackie here helped a little bit, but this...this is new."_

_This is news to me. I look back down at the child in my arms, my smile returning as pride swells in my chest. It felt strange, yet not unwelcome._

_I bend down and press a kiss to his forehead. He twitches slightly before a smile seems to grow; the first time I have seen him do so._

_I decided then and there: I will protect this child. If he needs to cry, I'll be there with a shoulder. If he needs a hug, I will be there with my arms outstretched. I don't care if I am a weak Servant._

_Harry is my Master, and I will never let him cry alone again._

* * *

Mata Hari felt her own tears slide down her beautiful face. Her voice wavered as she continued to speak.

"That was the best choice I have ever made. As time passed, he started to trust me more and more. Even as he summoned stronger Servants, he came to me whenever he wanted to cry. I always listened, offered him words of comfort. When the Orleans Singularity was finally over and we returned here...it didn't take him long to call me his mother."

She sniffed. "And that is the best title I have ever been given."

She looked up at Dantès, her eyes misty. He returned her gaze, calm and patient. Then he did something she hardly ever saw him do:

He smiled. Not the blood-lusting grin that he showed his foes, but a genuine, soft smile.

True, It was smaller than what she would've liked, but still!

"...I would not sell myself short if I was you," he said, his voice nearly a whisper. "You are the first person here to fully gain Harry's trust, the first person whom he could completely let his guard down around. In some ways, that makes you stronger than anyone else here. And if you still can't imagine that yourself, know that Harry deems it a truth."

The former spy sniffed and ducked her head to hide the growing blush on her face. "Flatterer…" she whispered playfully. Dantès let out a chuckle. She looked again at her sleeping son, joy filling her heart.

' _Oh Harry...mijn dierbare kind…'_

She hugged him tighter and gave him another two kisses.

"I must say, now I am curious," remarked the Count. "How exactly did he come to call you his mother?"

She couldn't help but grin. Well, it shouldn't come to her as a surprise that the Count of Monte Cristo was a sucker for stories.

"Well, it was-"

The door to the room opened, cutting her off, and in rushed all of the children, holding various pillows and blankets. Jackie and Ana cradled a large snake plushie in their arms and Serenity had a black jar in her hand.

"I hope we're not intruding," said Shiki as she entered the room. "But I think these kids are due for a sleepover."

Mata Hari took in the sight in front of her and rubbed her eyes. Not just Harry, but it seemed like all of these children were now her family. They cared for him as much as she did, so it was only right that she should care about them in the same manner.

Strong...weak...at that moment, she didn't care.

She made her son, her frail little Master, happy. And she will do anything to keep that happiness.

"I did promise that, didn't I? Now, before any of you start rushing, who wants to get in the bed with Harry?"

* * *

**Hi guys! Another chapter for you! I have to admit, this one was a real tear-jerker for me to write. If you listened to the song I wrote at the top of the page, you'll know why.  
**

**So here we see a glimpse into Mata Hari's memories and the first time she met Harry. She was such an interesting and tragic character both in the game and in real life, so I like to think that making her a main character here is a way of honoring her. Harry hasn't called her 'mommy' yet, but still, this definitely deserves a mention.**

**The title means 'Dance of tears, part one.' I'll write a sequel later down the road, so be on the lookout for it!**

**I recently started a Discord page for my fics, so if you want to join, type discord.gg/2bD4UgyyPA** **(without spaces of course). The Trope page needs a little updating too, so if you can help with that, it'd be welcome.**

**If you liked this story, check out my other ones, either on my profile here or on FFN and Spacebattles!**

**And last but not least...**

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**Author's Note:**

> So, what do you think? If you want to suggest any scenarios involving Harry and the Servants, feel free to PM me or write in the comments.
> 
> Go check out my profile on Fanfiction.Net to read (and review) more of my stories and challenges!
> 
> Read and Review!


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